WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

 For about the last six weeks two of our senior sister missionaries in the Area office have been working on a service project for refugees who are new moms.   Items for new babies were bought or made and donated by local members and senior missionaries.  I (Eileen) helped wash several loads of newborn clothing. As our washing machine is rather small and we hang our clothes out to dry, this was kind of a slow process. I was happy to help and be part of the project.  I quickly came to realize how minor my efforts had been in comparison to that expended by many others. 

Last Tuesday several women gathered together to assemble the boxes with newborn items. When I walked into the gymnasium I was astonished by the amount of work that had taken place in order for this service project to go forward.  Numerous tables were set up with various  baby items on them. Signs were posted indicating the number of items that should be inserted into each box.  The baby clothing was all sorted according to size and gender.  Many socks and sweaters were hand knit.  There were two sets of baby clothing which had a matching sweater, socks and baby cap all hand knitted and placed in a beautiful tulle sheer bag with a satin drawstring.  I was very touched, knowing how much time was put forth to make sure the refugee mothers had something very nice for their babies.  The boxes were assembled quickly. Eventually, some seventy boxes will have been prepared and sent. 

Last evening while watching the news we saw a report on an Eritrean refugee who had given birth prematurely to twins on a crowded boat as she was trying to make her way to Italy.  The babies are now safe in an intensive care unit of a hospital in Italy and doing well.  As a nurse who has worked in labor and delivery and also in a newborn intensive care unit, I can’t imagine giving birth under such terrible conditions.  My hope is that the new mothers who receive one of the boxes from this service project will feel loved by God and those who prepared it for them.  Perhaps they will also feel a little more comfort and peace during a time of great tribulation and change in their lives.  

Boxes with items for refugees

All these items went into one box for a baby girl

Sisters working together

This past Thursday we had our monthly Europe Area Welfare Missionary couple’s video call.  It was truly a miracle as we were able to get 13 couples from different countries on all at the same time.  We had an assortment of topics presented. Representatives from Publishing Services discussed the need for articles to be written with photos for our Church’s various country webpages.  Our manager instructed the couples on a change that will take place so that each country will have its own LDS Charities email address.  Russell talked on member welfare projects and the Ortons from Albania did a presentation on a stake led/Humanitarian Department sponsored goat project. This project has helped provide low-income members of our church with the necessary items and instruction to raise goats.  It was started 10 months ago and appears to be very successful in helping the members involved become more financially self-reliant.

Our couples conference call

This weekend we have had the opportunity to participate in the Freiburg, Germany temple dedication.  When I met Russell 39 years ago, I was a tour guide on Temple Square.  As part of the tour we would stop in front of the temple and explain that we had 13 working temples throughout the world, with 5 more under construction.  At that point in my life, I had a goal to someday visit all of the temples. 

Today, there are 151 LDS temples operating throughout the world, 15 more are under construction and an additional 11 have been announced.  The chance of me visiting all the temples in the world is no longer a possibility.

The Freiberg temple has a very unique history.  It was the first temple to be built in a communist nation and the first built on German soil.   Soon after the Swiss temple was dedicated in 1955 many Saints from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) were able to go there to receive their sacred blessings.  After 1957, because of “growing political difficulties,” only an occasional member was able to visit the temple.

When the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, visits to West Germany almost ceased.   Tensions were high in 1968 when Elder Thomas S. Monson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made his first visit to the GDR. He met with a group of faithful Saints in Górlitz, reporting: “My heart was filled with sorrow when I realized the members had no patriarch, no wards or stakes—just branches. They could not receive temple blessings—either endowment or sealing. No official visitor had come from Church headquarters in a long time. The members could not leave their country. Yet they trusted in the Lord with all their hearts.” With great feeling he promised them: “If you will remain true and faithful to the commandments of God, every blessing any member of the Church enjoys in any other country will be yours. “That night he knelt in prayer, pleading that the Lord would honor this astounding promise made in His name.  (Thomas S. Monson Conference report, April, 1989)

A German member, Henry Burkhardt repeatedly petitioned the German government for visas for Saints to attend the temple.  In 1978, the Ministry of Religious affairs summoned President Burkhardt to a meeting. The officials made it clear that the members would never be permitted to leave the country to visit the temple in Switzerland.  The officials then asked “what we do not understand is why your church does not build a temple right here?”  Seven years later in 1985 many tears were shed when the new Freiberg temple was dedicated. (Information taken from “The Freiberg Germany Temple: A Latter day Miracle, by David Boone and Richard Cowan).

Recently, renovations have been made on the Freiberg temple. Public tours were available during the last two weeks of August. On Saturday night there was a cultural celebration. Youth from several different countries participated, most of whom were from Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Germany.  We were able to view the celebration as it was broadcast to our local meetinghouse.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder David A. Bednar, both apostles for our church, visited the celebration. Elder Uchtdorf spoke in German to the youth, with occasional phrases in English.  He counseled the youth to keep the commandments and trust in the Lord.  He suggested that the youth learn English, not because it was a better language than German, but because it would open many more opportunities to talk with people around the world.  Videos were shown using real footage of Eastern Germany throughout the years.  The youth enacted various historical scenes from the region.

Interviews were also shown of the youth responding to how they are trying to accomplish three goals set by the Europe Area Presidency: 1) Bring a friend to church; 2) Become spiritually and temporally self-reliant; and 3) Find an ancestor and do their temple work.  At the conclusion of the celebration the youth sang while holding up their temple recommends.  A depiction of the Freiberg temple was behind them. As the youth were singing and holding up their recommends, Elder Uchtdorf smiled broadly and pulled his out also and waved it as the youth were doing.  The spirit was strong in the meeting. At the conclusion of the cultural celebration, Elder Uchtdorf went and shook hands with the youth.  Many had tears pouring down their cheeks. I am sure this will be an event that they will not forget. 

Today we attended the rededication of the Freiberg temple via satellite broadcast in a local chapel. All over the age of eight with special temple recommends were allowed to attend.  What a momentous occasion.  A prophet of God had prophesied in 1968 that if the East German Saints would live worthy that all the blessings of the gospel would become available to them.  Who would have ever thought that it could happen?  With God, nothing is impossible.  We are so grateful to have been able to participate in this marvelous event.

Elder and Sister Uchtdorf visiting with participants after the Freiberg Temple celebration

FINDING MY ROOTS, HAVING FUN WITH THE REFUGEES

"Every Monday morning the Area Office employees and missionaries meet together for a devotional.  About once a quarter we have a member of the Area Presidency speak to us.  These meetings seem a great way to start the week and give us greater insight into the individual presenting the devotional.  Last Monday (August 22), I (Eileen), was asked to give the devotional.  I have attached my talk below.

The Europe Area Presidency has listed three goals which they would like us to focus on: 1) Bring a friend (to church), 2) Become spiritually and temporally self-reliant, and  3) Find an ancestor (genealogy).  On the back side of the card (see picture below) listing the three goals there is a section relating to the third goal. It contains a box to check when you have completed the “My Family Booklet.”  There is both a printed version of this booklet and an electronic version which can be completed online. Within this booklet we can list our ancestors and also note whether or not their temple work has been done. There is also a section to write stories and memories about ourselves and also our ancestors.  I would like to share a few recent experiences I have had associated with my family history efforts.

        Prior to this mission we were full-time missionaries serving in the Missionary Department at the Church Office Building. We were part of the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission.  This was a little awkward for us as neither Elder Healy nor I had done much in the way of family history work.  We were part of a missionary branch where there were 275 missionaries, most of whom served in some genealogy or family history capacity.  We frequently heard talks on family history and I even joined the family history Sunday school class.  Every Tuesday, members from our ward would attend the Salt Lake Temple, where ordinances were performed for deceased ancestors.  We frequently joined this group, however we never brought any family names of our own.

With time the Spirit of Elijah started to take hold in my heart.  I was able to search out ancestors on Family Search, (a church sponsored web-site for genealogy and family history work).  I helped my father attach a brief life sketch online for both of his parents. I uploaded many photos of my ancestors to Family Search. Most of my Saturdays were spent helping my parents with their personal histories.

When I moved to Germany I was concerned that any further efforts to search out my ancestors would be curtailed.  Shortly after moving here I had the opportunity to go to the Swiss Temple. When my father heard that I was going to Switzerland he suggested that if I had time, I might want to try and find his childhood home.  After our visit to the temple, on my Father’s 92^nd birthday we drove to Basel, Switzerland and located the street where he had lived as a toddler, while his father presided over the Swiss German mission. It was a very special experience to be able to walk the same streets which my father and grandparents had walked 90 years ago.

Over the last 2 months I have been able to help with the editing of my parent’s and grandparent’s history.  I never knew either one of my Grandfathers personally as both passed away before I was born. By reading their histories I have felt a closeness to them.

As I read the histories of my paternal grandparents the memories and testimonies seemed particularly applicable to me at this time.  I don’t think they would ever imagine how important those stories would be to one of their descendants, a future senior missionary serving in Germany. I have been inspired by reading their memoirs. Their challenges while serving the Lord make mine seem rather trivial.

My grandfather Hugh J. Cannon served three missions in Germany. His first mission started in 1891.  During the course of this mission his brother who was serving as a missionary in Berlin passed away. His brother, David Cannon was one of 21 missionaries who died while serving in Germany during the early years of the church. My grandfather collected the necessary documents and accompanied the body of his brother back home.

In 1901 my grandfather returned to Germany to serve as the mission president.   Elder Francis Lyman authorized the printing of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants in German, and he gave my grandfather charge of the translation and printing. My Grandfather mentioned what a great responsibility Elder Lyman had given him and how he hoped to be able to live up to the task.

There was much opposition in Germany to the work, and missionaries at different times were imprisoned or banished. The complaints were not that the missionaries had broken the law, but merely that they were "Mormons" and undesirable and that they could not remain in Prussia. A Book of Mormon was sent to the Kaiser, along with a letter asking for leniency. It was returned. On Saturday, June 6, 1903, all those who were working for the mission office were ordered to appear at the police station, where they were handed their banishment papers.

My grandfather’s first wife passed away in 1914 and he married my grandmother, Sarah Ellen Richards, in 1917. In 1925 my grandfather was asked to serve again as mission president, this time he would preside over the Swiss-German mission. He took 5 children with him, the youngest of which was my father. Two of the children were from his prior marriage.

         My grandfather would later write: "We have virtually lost our home since coming over here. We are poor. But what family of even rich people has the opportunities which are ours. We have a beautiful and comfortable home here, more convenient and comfortable even than the one we left. The entire family is acquiring a practical and fluent knowledge of the German language.” 

From my grandmother’s journal we read, "The German language was hard for me, and I had few opportunities to speak German at first.  At Chemnitz, Germany, August 23, 1925, I spoke in meeting with an interpreter.  While attending one of the meetings, I think I experienced the gift of tongues. I realized that I was understanding practically all of what was being said by trying to grasp the meaning without interpreting word for word. In October, I spoke in German for the first time in a meeting." 

 It will be 91 years tomorrow since my grandmother experienced the gift of tongues in Germany.  I am hopeful that perhaps at some point I might also be given the blessing of understanding the German language.

When my grandparents returned home from Europe they found that their renters had not taken care of their home and it was ruined. Three years after their return my grandfather died. My grandmother was left a widow at the young age of 42 with 5 young children to care for. She lived as a widow for another 57 years.

Her journal reads “I felt that the bottom had dropped out of everything and that life was not worth the living. As I feared before my marriage, widowhood had come to me early -- only fourteen years of married happiness. But those few years of companionship and love, although hard at times, were so wonderful that I tremble to think of what I would have missed if I had not had the courage to take that important step. What would life be worth now without my dear and thoughtful children and my anticipation of an eternity with them and such a wonderful husband?"

I have cherished reading the words from my grandparent’s journals. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “I urge all the people of this church to give serious attention to their family histories, to encourage their parents and grandparents to write their journals, and let no family go into eternity without having left their memoirs for their children, their grandchildren, and their posterity. This is a duty and a responsibility. ... Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.” (General Conference. April 1978)

I am grateful for the Area Presidency’s reminder of the things I should be focused on in addition to my missionary responsibilities. Last week I found some family names to take to the temple. We just returned last evening from our trip to the Hague Temple.  This was the first time I have ever done ordinance work for a family member. It was an incredible experience to be baptized, do sealings and other ordinance work for my grandmother’s cousins.  Temple work has never been so meaningful to me."

My father is the baby, sitting on my grandmother's lap.

My grandfather and three of his children

  I have been unable to visit the refugee camp recently due to our busy schedule. Several of the senior missionaries have spent time there creating a lounge area for the adult members of the refugee camp to relax in.  The missionaries  brought sewing machines and helped the refugee women make the cushions.  I am impressed at the effort which was put forth into making this lounge a pleasant gathering place for the residents of the camp. 

This past Tuesday I spent several hours at the refugee camp.  When the missionaries visit the camp we do not dress in missionary clothes or have missionary tags on. We are attending hoping to bring some happiness and joy to the refugees lives. We bring a variety of items to play with and let the children decide which activities they would like to participate in.  The smaller children seem to especially love playing with the playdough. Several children and even one of the fathers used marking pens to color a mandala. I have not ever seen a mandala before. It is a form of art with intricate designs that can be colored in. It is quite often used as art therapy to help heal the soul. Someone had brought craft items consisting of construction paper, sequins, and feathers. A 10 year old girl in the camp decided she would like to make a decorated mask. Several other children followed suit.  I enjoyed helping them make their masks.

He loved the google eyes

  Other children tried giving this little boy a bigger feather, but he insisted he wanted the yellow feather.

Sister Keyser doing mandala with child

Sister Rich making mask

This little girl was very proud of her mask

GOING HOME

I (Russell) mentioned last week that I had been to see some doctors and that I would be going back this week so my referring physician could read the x-rays and let me know his opinion of how I was doing.  When we last saw him he said to come back next week after having the tests and it that it was not necessary to have an appointment, to just drop in.  It sounded too easy and it was.  We ended up having to go twice to find the doctor in the office.  Only after the second visit did we learned that the doctor we had been seeing was not even the doctor I had the original appointment with.  Eileen and I emerged from the last appointment with different feelings.  Mine was one of relief at having the matter finally finished.  No more doctor appointments!  Eileen’s was one of frustration at not being able to communicate effectively in German.  I think this may just add fuel to Eileen’s efforts to learn German.

On Friday we drove to the LDS temple in The Hague, Netherlands.  The temple there is small in comparison to those in Utah and appointments are necessary for certain ordinances.  In the temple sacred ordinances such as baptism and marriage are performed for both the living and the dead.  These ordinances are effective both in this life and the life to come.  Eileen and I had both found names of ancestors to do work for in the temple and we enjoyed our visit there very much. 

 Den Hague Temple

On Saturday morning when we returned to the temple, just as we got out of the car someone called to us.  It was Anita Herway and her husband Tom.  When we lived in Brussels over 15 years ago they were in our ward there.  Tom had been our bishop and Anita had taught our children in seminary.  It was great to see them again.  We learned that Tom is retiring and that they are moving from Brussels in two weeks.  I asked what they had would be doing in the next phase of their life.  Tom told me that after doing some vacationing and catching up with family back in the states that they were planning on serving a mission.  I mentioned that our last mission had been in the Missionary Department working with senior missionary assignments and that I would be happy to help them understand the process if they had any questions.  Tom then told me that the reason they had come to the temple that day was to seek guidance as to how they should proceed with their mission plans.

There are times in your life when you recognize that events are not luck or just coincidence, but that there is a divine purpose in why you are where you are at that exact moment.  Eileen and I talked with Tom and Anita for quite some time about their mission plans.  In the end I can’t say that I know exactly what it was that was so important for them to learn from our visit.  Perhaps we will never know.  But I am absolutely confident that it was meant to happen and that something communicated between us was important.  As the Prophet Alma told his son, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”  I am sure Tom and Anita will make great missionaries and I feel humbled to have had this brief encounter with them this weekend.

Healys and Herways

After leaving the temple on Saturday afternoon we drove to our old home near Brussels.  It was nostalgic to look at the house and remember all the good times we had there.  For both Eileen and I it was truly one of the best two-year periods in of our lives.  During our time there we had a closer relationship with our children than we have ever had.

Our Home in Overijse (We had flower pots with geraniums hanging outside every window)

It was a grand old house-we loved it!

Grand Place-many buildings dating back more than 300 years

We had dinner outside just as the sun was going down

Earlier today we had the opportunity to attend church in the Brussels International Ward where we attended while we lived there.  The ward is by nature a transient ward so most of those attending we did not know.  In addition to seeing the Herways again, the 16 year-old son of Leticia Binwag came up to me and introduced himself.  He told us that his mother was sick and unable to attend today but that his mother had asked him to say hello to us.  He was just a baby when we left Brussels.  We also saw Jenlyn and her daughter Jennifer.  My son Vijay and I were her home teachers when we lived here.  Jenlyn had recently gone through some very hard times just before I met her 17 years ago.  It was good to see her attending church and active in the gospel.  Her son Kurt, who I remember as a very active preschooler is now submitting his papers to serve a full-time mission.

Jennifer, Jenlyn and the Healys

KIDNEYS AND CASTLE

This week I (Russell) finally did what I have been putting off for a couple of months.  I went to have some medical tests done as a follow-up to the operation I had just six weeks prior to starting this mission.  Although I have been feeling well with no apparent symptoms, I had promised my doctor back home that I would do this.  The test was the same one I had just eight weeks prior to entering the MTC which revealed that, following the two kidney stone procedures I had between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, I had stricture or blockage of my right ureter.  Similar to my current state I was not then symptomatic so the findings took Eileen and I by complete surprise.

Fortunately I was blessed to have access to great medical care and a quick operation to remedy the situation.  Had I been living just a generation ago or in most places of the world today I would have probably lost a kidney.  As it was I just had the inconvenience of trying to get the operation done in very short order and having the stent pulled after our first week in the MTC just a few days prior to boarding the flight to Germany.

Going to see the doctor here in Germany is a bit different than in the States.  The first thing that stood out to me was that immediately after the radiologist did the test he had me come in and review the x-rays with him.  He told me what he saw and gave me a hard copy of the x-rays.  The cost for the whole procedure was under $150.  The same procedure cost me (my insurance company) over $750 when I had it earlier this year in Utah.  When I asked the referring physician when I should come back after having the test so he could review the Xray and the blood test done, he said next week.  When I asked for a specific time he said that he operates on Thursday, any other day would be fine and to just drop in.  While just as professional and competent, the doctors here seem far less formal.  Perhaps that is a reflection or our litigious culture in the States.

As I was leaving from the procedure on Friday the doctor looked at my tag and asked what church we represented.  I told him and gave him one of my business cards.  He said he was Aramaic Orthodox, but that his church building was a long ways away.  We told him ours was only a little over a mile from his office.  He said he might join us there sometime.

Coming to the end of this months-long ordeal I find myself both relieved and grateful.  I am very grateful for a good doctor who was willing to see me on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, which allowed me to not miss work (serving in the Missionary Department) and still have my multiple kidney stones removed.  I am grateful for Home Teachers, Priesthood Leaders, my son and son-in-law who gave me priesthood blessings during the five months during which I had the three operations.  I am grateful for a good Bishop who took me to see the doctor on New Year’s Day to get my second stent removed.  I am very grateful for family members who supported me during this challenging time, particularly for my wife who was by my side through it all.  And I am most grateful for a loving Father-in-Heaven who has comforted and looked after me – I’m sure more than I am even aware of.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit a castle a couple hours west of here.  Burg Eltz Castle is a medieval castle in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier.  It is still owned by a branch of the family (the Eltz family) that lived there in the 12^th century, 33 generations ago.  In one of the rooms there was a large painting of a genealogical fan chart, which was several hundred years old.  On one side it showed the husband’s ancestry and on the other side it showed the wife’s going back many generations.

We walked in to the castle on a very beautiful trail

As we came around the bend this was our view

Our traveling friends-Elder and Sister Rueckert

The armory

Husbands anestry tree

Wife's ancestry tree