Frohe Weihnachten

We wish you a Merry Christmas.  Which in German is Frohe Weihnachten.    

The Friday before Christmas we left Frankfurt around noon and drove north to the town of Salzgitter.  Our friends, Petra and Matthias Leben from our New Zealand/Vanuatu mission days invited us to their home for a traditional German Christmas.  We had a wonderful time.

The Lebens took us on an adventure Saturday to Marienburg Castle, Hanover City and the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen.  After the Royal Gardens, we drove back to Hanover to visit the Christmas Market, but it was quite crowded, so we decided to go home for dinner and to play some games.

On Sunday we went to church and then returned home for a delightful Sunday dinner.  After dinner, we sang Christmas songs and played some fun games. Because we were going home on the morning of Christmas Eve, they lit the lights of their Christmas tree early for us.  Be sure to notice that the candles on the tree are actually real "flame" candles. 

On Monday morning the Leben family took us on another fun adventure.  This time it was to the Mines of Rammelsberg.  This is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was a fascinating tour.   

We returned home to Frankfurt on Tuesday December 24th, Christmas Eve.  We were able to visit with most of our children via FaceTime.  Today, Christmas day we gathered together as an area office missionary zone to celebrate Christmas together.  We had an authentic Cafe Rio Salad.  The meal was followed by singing Christmas Carols, cowboy poetry readings and a group photo.  

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a hope for a Happy New Year!  Being away from home can make Christmas a challenging time as our family members are half way around the world. However with technology like "Marco Polo", we have been sharing our favourite Christmas songs, Christmas traditions, Christmas Eve memories, and of course our Christmas Day activities with our family members. It's great to see and visit with everyone, even if it only on a "screen".  

What memories does this time of year evoke for you?  

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.  The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.  I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!"  Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol  

Devotional and Christmas Market in Frankfurt

On Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at noon we had a Christmas Devotional with the Europe Area Presidency.  We heard messages from each member of the Area Presidency and their wives.  It was a wonderful meeting followed by refreshments and time to socialize together.

One of Germany's biggest and best known Christmas Markets is held in Frankfurt, so at 3:30pm we went as a Welfare and Self Reliance team to enjoy the festivities downtown.  Every weekend there are many Christmas Markets throughout the country.  You just have to decide which ones you want to see, as there are not enough weekends to see them all.  On this day we rode the train down to the shopping district,  strolled along -- looking at the sights, listening to the sounds and smelling the delicious food in the air.

Scroll down, the pictures tell the story.

"This is a glorious time of the year, simple in origin, deep in meaning, beautiful in tradition and custom, rich in memories, and charitable in spirit.  It has an attraction to which our hearts are readily drawn.  This joyful season brings to each of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree in which we have turned our mind, feelings, and actions to the spirit of Christmas".  Thomas S. Monson, Christmas Devotional 1996

A Christmas Carol Readers Theatre

The Senior Missionaries assigned to the Europe Area Office in Frankfurt, Germany have Family Home Evening twice each month.  The Winters coordinate the Family Home Evenings and assign each senior couple to present a FHE lesson or activity.  In looking at the calendar it occurred to us that we could  do a "Readers Theatre" of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens for our FHE in December.  The fact that Gary took part in a readers theatre for the past three years in our home ward made our preparation a little simpler.  We had the script, so we just needed to assign the various parts to missionaries who seemed to fit the bill.  Thanks to our wonderful role models, David and Michelle Janke (in our home ward), we even had finger foods and Christmas treats for our refreshments.

There were a few senior missionaries who were not quite sure how this "reader's theatre" would turn out, especially when we told them there would be no rehearsal!  On Monday, December 2, 2019 we gathered as a senior missionary zone and had a delightful time.  To make things more exciting, there were a few times when our readers got off-script with their own ad-lib interpretations.  Elder Koegler, our Area Medical Advisor and former Gastrologist, told Scrooge he could do a specific surgical procedure that would correct his problem if he swallowed "the toothpick".  Also during the discussion between Scrooge and Marley regarding "chains" Marley went to the piano and they all sang "Unchained Melody";  there was also the time when Elder Frank Ballard, our Area Legal Counsel turned the "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come" into a Man in Black complete with his tag which read "Lawyer Angel of Death".  Everyone had a fun-filled evening and a laugh-filled time.  Gary chose to give up his role as Marley to read the part of Charles Dickens.  Gary got a top hat to look more like Charles Dickens and gave his Marley wig to another Elder who played the part of Jacob Marley.

And so the holiday season is upon us, our thoughts are drawn to home and we have been wondering "who will play Jacob Marley next year"?

Modern technology has made it wonderful to FaceTime with our children and see them carrying on the traditions we have done over the years.  Last week they made Gingerbread houses.  Susan will be honest, she did not miss the preparation or clean-up.  However, we both miss the joy of spending time with our children and grandchildren.

“and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed: God Bless Us, Everyone!“  A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Praia, Cape Verde to train Elder and Sister North

On Wednesday, November 20, 2019 we caught a flight from Frankfurt to Lisbon, Portugal.  We had a layover in Lisbon until the next morning and then we flew to Praia, Cape Verde.

We left Lisbon on the Thursday morning, the 21st and arrived early that afternoon in Praia, Cape 

Verde.

Elder and Sister North are from Ogden, Utah.  They arrived in Praia the first part of November.  As soon as they arrived they went with the couple they were replacing, Elder and Sister Neff and a technical specialist to visit some "water" projects.   

We drove to our hotel, dropped off our luggage, and then the North's took us to their apartment.  They have a lovely apartment - two bedrooms and two baths with a fantastic view of the ocean.  We started our training almost immediately as they had lots of questions that they wanted answered.

Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday morning was spent in reviewing projects and learning how to negotiate the Church Humanitarian database system.  We also spent quite a bit of time helping them to develop skills so they can enter the correct information in the finance reporting system.  

Elder North has a truck rather than a car.  This is great since they are working with several member welfare projects which require them transporting chickens and drive on very rough roads and off-roads. 

Each evening we went out to dinner - the only problem was that most places do not open for dinner until 7:30 pm.  This being the case we went to the same restaurant three different nights for earlier meals.  The other nights we ate at the restaurant in the hotel.   

Friday afternoon we visited one of their ongoing projects with a local NGO and discussed a potential new project.  The project that they are working with right now is helping people learn how to learn industrial sewing so the program participants can get a job and become more self-reliant.  

On Saturday we did more training and then we all went to a stake baptism.  There were 7 people who were baptised this Saturday.  It was a little bit crowded at the font.  There were two sister missionaries serving as witnesses at the baptism.  The mission president said that 7 people at a stake baptism is not unusual.  They have had as many as 12 and as few as 4.  People in Cape Verde are willing to listen to the missionaries and actively looking for ways to improve their lives.  The gospel is really touching people's lives.

After everyone was baptised they had all the missionaries come up and sing "Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing".  Our only problem was that they sang it in Portuguese/Creole.  We did the best we could in the signing, trying to blend in.  

The missionaries reported that they have a baptism every weekend.  We were told that it is one of the highest baptising missions in the church.  Certainly it is the highest baptising mission in the Europe Area - yes it is in the Europe Area even thougth is is just off the coast of Africa.  

When we walked into the baptism we ran into one of our Self-Reliance Managers (Mendonca) who was there with his daughter who had been practicing for a primary program the next day.  We were very grateful to see him and renew our acquaintance from when he was in Frankfurt a few months ago.   

On Sunday we went to church with Elder and Sister North.  After church we drove around the island and saw some beautiful sights.  

Gary and Elder North

Susan and Sister North

Sign at the site of the future Cape
Verde Temple

Preparing the site for the future temple in Praia, Cape Verde

 Amilcar Lopes Cabral - helped Cape Verde become a country

Next to the temple site


An active lighthouse in Praia, Cape Verde

We saw this as we loaded our suitcases into the back of the truck on our way to the airport

This was the view from our room.  

We returned to Lisbon on Tuesday morning at 1:00am.  We had a huge line to get through customs and finally got to our hotel at 7:30.  We had planned on seeing some sights, but it was raining and this was the morning of the earthquake in Albania - we spend most of the day working on our computers in our hotel room.  We returned to Frankfurt on Wednesday getting home at 8:00pm.  Thursday (Thanksgiving) was spent in the office.  

You will never be completely at home again.  Because part of your heart will always be elsewhere.  That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." Spirit Science