A HOTTT JULY MONTH, 2018!

What a wonderfully hot Summer Month! We've been very busy in the Temple, of course, but we've also been very active in our wonderful German country! As we've lived through some cool - cold Fall and Winter days and nights and looked forward to Spring and Summer, we had no idea what the sun and very little rain would bring to us and the entire countryside.

Ilona Hartz and Lyn in her Garden

This is displayed very well by these poor, suffering pumpkin plants' wilted leaves - and, they are, of course, watered by Ilona Harzt in her garden by a watering can more often than most plants all around the neighborhood! Ilona has been such a good friend - we've had many musical adventures during our time in the Freiberg Branch. She has most recently asked me to lead the Sacrament Meeting music once a month. That has been great fun looking at our Branch members.

Poor Wilted Pumpkin Caps

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• As the end of July has come upon us, there have been comments made about this being the longest, hottest day stretch in the history here. When we first came last May, we lived on the third floor in a small apartment of the Temple missionary apartments. There was one window to the South. May was warm enough. As June and July came it was definitely warming up. We had an option to move to the main floor as one missionary couple was moving. We were delighted! Although we knew there was an afternoon sun setting exposure, we thought we just couldn't wait any longer. Besides which, the next available apartment would be located in the basement - much cooler, but also darker. Since light is always a happy part of my life, we chose to move to the main floor in early August. There would be another opening if we wanted to wait until November, but we opted to move into the downstairs then! This month has been so hotttt - we've thought back to that other apartment which had morning instead of afternoon sun. However...here we are.

Angela, Annaliese, Rosi, S. Wang and S. Apel 

Our view out the window is into some neighbors' backyards. So fascinating - we can see the side of the Fröbel's house - the daughter of President and Sister Frank Apel - part of the previously described Freiberg Temple history. She is the hair care queen for all of the sister missionaries.

 Parker, Moss, Thornock, Linford

We RS Sisters were just invited to a wonderful cool (big surprise!) evening of wonderful food and conversation in her home! She stood so happily in her kitchen showing off her vibrant red-colored walls and many other bright accents. She said she had done the whole thing herself except for two salads brought by her counselors. She is a COOK!

Happy Chef with her Delectables!

When we first came I found it very strange that she was the Relief Society President in the Branch as well as the First Counselor in the Stake Relief Society. She is very busy as she works several days of the week from early to early evening in her downstairs hair salon as well as still caring for a darling 14+ son, Gordon. She does all of it with great energy and enthusiasm and speaks always in the Saxisch dialect - of which she is very proud!! We sit and talk actively every month - great learning for me, and, I think, teaching for her!

Amazing Coloring of Dawn or Dusk Depending on Time

The most wonderful thing about our apartment view - certainly not a beautiful one looking into our neighbor's backyards - is that it is accompanied by the enchanting sound of early morning small birds singing. They are darling sparrows, mainly, I think. Of course, they are also great callers for their families retiring to home in the evening. 

We love to have the windows open - even though the light can begin coming in these days at 4:30 a.m. - and of course, the birdies are awakened about that early hour by their friend, the sun. That's too early for the work-a-day missionaries!

June Swoon - The 2018 Summer Begins

Hale and Ann Thornock

As this new month of June begins, we are being continually blessed by wonderful things as we serve in the Temple with five other missionary couples from the United States. All of the husbands except for Lee have returned from having served missions here or in Switzerland. It's wonderful for them to remember their missionary past attachments. Two new couples have come during the last month+. One couple has served in the Hawaiian Temple as regular Temple Workers, and they are retired military, the Thornocks. 

The other couple, Linfords, are here from Midway, Utah. Neither of this couple had spoken German before, but they are both very willing workers and learners. Brother Linford is currently serving as the Assistant Recorder - with no German background - amazing!

Joe and Loni Linford

Galecki - Packed and Leaving for Poland 

This past week we served with about 50+ members from Hungary. Lee and I have previously met many of these same brothers and sisters as they came almost a year ago when we had just arrived. (It's hard to imagine we've been here more than a year - from May 19 to be exact.) They came aboard a medium long black bus which had been hired to bring most of them. The next time we met them here they had made arrangements to come again in various cars and a smaller bus.  It is so wonderful to meet some of them who first came only to serve as they were baptized for the dead. They hadn't been members long enough to be involved in other ordinances yet. 

Polish Zimbabwean Saint

However, as they came the next times through the year, they had been ordained with the Priesthood and worked through many other Church assignments, and they were able to work throughout the Temple helping others of their members to complete ordinances. Of course, they all individually brought family names to receive baptism, confirmation, endowments and sealings for their ancestors. Most wonderful was to see their tears of happiness as they completed those ordinances!

The previous week we served many hours and days with brothers and sisters from Poland. Many of them had also been here a year ago when we arrived. This fine young man, Brother Vhovha, helped us so much the very first time every one came. He speaks excellent English. It's great to see how many people search for him so often to help us and them translate! His home is actually Zimbabwe. He says he hasn't been there for 14 years, but until the Lord directs him, he probably won't be returning. Many of them are all looking forward to returning again later this year - hopefully before we leave in November. It is an amazing wonder to see the growth in personalities as they have been given so many opportunities to serve in callings at home and then here, too. There were several new Polish Temple Workers called and set apart during that last week. Of course, we at the Temple do not speak Polish. We do make a great effort to have the ordinances done in their own languages with great help from all of their fellow citizens.

Marianne Dospil and Lyn

Some of us have been learning a very modicum of Hungarian - there's a darling sister missionary who has been serving here for six months, Marianne Dospel, see here with me. She's originally Hungarian, now having lived in Ireland, England, Austria and Germany, and so speaking all of those languages well. Our next two weeks will be working with Hungarian Saints, so we're hoping to be "schooled" a little better in that language. As President Wadosch has said: "The first week was just the test - much more to come."

For our early morning Preparation/Prayer meeting she is very helpful translating as there are Germans, English-speaking (wives, mainly) and Hungarians. All those who wish translation normally wear earphones, later also used in the endowment sessions, but when there are 3 languages being needed - a translator from the foreign country is a necessity. Fascinating. When I lead the music each morning surrounded by Hungarian, Polish or Tzech Saints all singing in their own languages, I sometimes feel like I might be singing the wrong words in German! I haven't done it yet, but I have thought that I could sing the hymn in English and no one would ever know. United Nations of hymn-singing? It's a wonderful feeling actually. I sometimes wonder how different things might have been without the proud people working to build a tower to God themselves so long ago in Babel!

Interwoven within these busy days in the Freiberg Temple, Lee and I have been traveling to Dresden, a 45-minute or 2 hour drive depending on the truck traffic and road re-construction. It is a beautiful large city. We had been there a couple of times as tourists from Freiberg, but these two week Mondays (our preparation days) we have been finding our way through its beauties trying to find doctors at the University Clinik located there. It's a little different when we have to find a goal location! Of course, this photo doesn't show us having found a place to eat after having been successful finding the Clinik, but it reminds me of a somewhat similar photo taken by our family as we were visiting battlefields of the Civil War when we visited the Washington D.C. area. - same kind of guy always in front of the cannon.

Cannon Master Ashby at Pulverturm in Dresden

In fact, this beautiful cannon model from German history is right outside the Pulverturm Restaurant in front of the Frauenkirche. Downstairs there are remaining battlement columns and great historically documented vaulted rooms so that you may experience a part of the history of Saxony while enjoying a truly royal Saxon dining experience. The tower originally formed part of Dresden's fortifications. "It was a pretty explosive place back then." There's a famous bakery featuring all kinds of breads and sweets. The "Condemned Man's Last Meal" (served in the dungeon) is an unforgettable experience - we didn't try it. We'll leave that for the brave young Ashby Stevens to try perhaps.

Downstairs

Of all the large cities we have visited, I think Dresden is one of the most enchanting. There is so much of immense imperial strength and beauty everywhere visible - August the Strong having molded so much in his time. 

There are so many historic buildings which were completely ruined in the immense and intense bombing at the end of 1945. The Frauenkirche spoken of by President Uchtdorf has so much to recommend it inside as well as the few dark stones reminding of its destruction. Of course, you will remember the long description I made of it in one of the earliest blogs when we had just arrived. This time we were able to hear a service inside with organ accompaniment, a Silvermann Organ.

Galleries and Light Arches

We were led in reciting "The Lord's Prayer" by an ordained woman. I can't think of a lighter, more beautiful "Church." We were told that the original windowed seats were paid for by those who wanted to sit and pray privately. Of course, these have been reconstructed, but according to photos and drawings they have been done in the original styles of the 1200's - 1800's. There were many very different styles from the early church to the elegant later styles.

                                                                          We finally took the time in the late afternoon for a bus trip around the city. We've toured many cities by bus, but this was somewhat of a disappointment, because the real beauties of history, architecture, music, art and museums of various subjects are located directly downtown in the Altstadt. 

We did take a couple of photos of the beautiful homes  and the very regal small palaces built much earlier by those in the ruling class. 

Much earlier on Bernd Kleinert, our very good and dependable doctor friend, drove us to Dresden once and also drove us up into the individual mansions - showing us the part of the city where only a few well-to-do still live. We had a great view of these as we drove along the Elbe River. Of course there were no markers

Regal Ancient Homes of the "Rich and Famous"

or historical notations about the Elbe River. It is one of the remarkable rivers of Germany and also of the European Continent. When I hear/read the name I think back to history lesson I have had so long ago. Sometimes it looks very shallow for so great a river. I guess it has a lot to do with the historic men and battles that have been fought along its banks. The Romans only tried once to push their Western borders past the Elbe. Charlemagne also recognized his Eastern borders as the Elbe. Of course, the Russians and the Western armies met at its borders as it became a marker between West and East Germany at the end of WWII. To think that we work daily in a Temple of the Lord located and constructed in what was then a Communist country permitted by a government where no freedoms were allowed. A miracle in its time continues to be a miracle for peoples all over this continent. And, we are blessed with the opportunity to be of assistance now.

A Year's Ending and a New One Beginning

Dresden Stake Conference, May 5-6, 2018

What a special day to attend again a Stake Conference signalling nearly the end of one year of service in our Freiberg Temple. It was wonderful to walk into a very well attended conference in a spacious remodelled older building. It was previously known that the Stake Presidency would be re-organized, so there were many people seated more than an hour ahead.

Owen's Dark-eyed Twin

Last year when we arrived for this meeting, we could barely keep our eyes open - we had only arrived from home after 14 or so hours of traveling - as we entered this large building in which we knew nearly no one. As previously mentioned in our blog I did met again the woman whom I had worked with in the Salt Lake City Family History Library, International Floor, and helped her find her early German ancestors from the 1600's within this general area of Germany. However, among all the people attending who were unknown to us, I did sit behind and take photos of a darling little boy whose dark, large eyes reminded me so much of Owen Stevens,

Almost Exactly One Year Later

one of our darling grandsons whom we had just left! As I sat down this year it was so amazing - directly in front of us was sitting that same little boy, a grandson of the Kux family - a year older and a little more red-headed.

This year we now know, through many wonderful personal experiences, many of those who are attending. We were part of the musical choir for the Saturday evening session this year. Many of the singers were from our Freiberg Branch and Ward. The conductor and his wife, the Thomas Lehmann's, is a couple we see in the temple as assigned temple workers. Their son, David, is our very young and talented Branch 2nd Counselor. When I translate for the Branch Sacrament Meeting and he is speaking, he always prepares his thoughts and quotes typed ahead for me, because he speaks so quickly and with a distinct dialect from Saxony - very difficult to understand at a mile a minute! Since we have been living in this area, we have found that so many of the very active members stem from just a few names: Lehmann, Dzierzon, Apel, Kux, Siebold and, of course, others. These people have come from some of the earliest convert families who were able to be converted to Christ and to His gospel in a poor and post war-torn Communist country and live their faith in and through very trying times. Those early, strong testimonies were shared within families. The fruits of their labors are wonderful to see!

One of the most touching personal moments I have had since our arrival as we have worked with great German temple workers was to become a close personal friend of Gudrun Kux. She was part of a group of three sisters, two of whom would come to work with their husbands every Friday. The third sister also came along to work all day on Friday without her own husband. He would come at another time as he drove three elderly sisters to attend a session each week on another day. Sister Kux, Sister Lehmann and Sister Jaursch were so dedicated!

Dear Sister Gudrun Kux

We often worked together for months in an assignment which only involved women temple workers, so we came to know each other very well. I remember the day Gudrun Kux said she would only be able to work for a couple of hours because of rather severe back pains. She wasn't able to return for quite a while, and then we were told that she had a return of cancer from which she had recovered six years ago. This time the cancer had spread throughout her body. Lee and I went to visit her in their home - on the fourth floor of a building without an elevator. It was great to visit with her and her husband. He ended our visit with a very tearful prayer. She was often in great pain that day, but her smiling face was a witness of how happy she was for our visit. Within a week, she mercifully died. Because of another good German friend who spoke to the temple presidency for me when they came on the day of funeral, I was allowed to find substitutes for me throughout the day so that I could attend her funeral. What a great  witness of a faithful mother and the blessing she has been to her strong family members. Sons spoke of her personal influence and the gospel's influence in all of their lives. I had also come to know several of the family members including a daughter and a granddaughter as they had come to be in the temple many time as proxies.

Grave site of  Gudrun with Family Members

Standing together at the grave site

with everyone surrounding it where a rose from each had been thrown to her coffin (coffins may only be made of wood as they are removed after 7 years for another burial placement), we sang together "Nearer My God to Thee." What a tribute. I was so blessed to be there! 

Brightly Flowered Rapeseed Plants

As can be seen from the beautiful green everywhere in this cemetery, the season has turned into beautiful Spring everywhere in Germany. As we drive to Dresden from Freiberg, we see fields striped with brilliant yellow rows of rapeseed plants. They are used to make that wonderful Canola oil we have been healthfully using for such a long time. Unfortunately, they are sometimes also used to make fuel. I have never seen fields of them before. I have heard many Germans complain about the terrible misuse of a food crop for fuel instead of it being used to alleviate hunger in so many parts of the world. Many of these good people are  very sensitive about our use or misuse of Mother Earth.

I also have appreciated the way the lush lands all around us are cared for in their seasons. It feels like stepping back in time sometimes as I see smaller farms being cared for by individual farmers who are using mechanical means of planting and harvesting, but on such a lovely smaller scale than I see at home often. The brighter and darker shades of greens fit so beautifully with these stripes of yellow.

Our Temple grounds are regularly maintained with shrubs and trees of green pruned and being added to with seasonal renewed floral plantings.

Lyn with Day Daffodils Dimming at Sunset

It was a big surprise returning one evening to the Temple to see long rows of delightful  daffodils suddenly sprouting and dancing the the Freiberg wind! The many fading heather plants placed all around the Temple during the Fall to Winter months originally adding many colors have also been replaced with pansy patterns and now begonia flowers.

As the evening was setting, the purples, pinks, yellows and blues seemed to be echoing one another in the sky and on the ground. What a beautiful piled-high pansy center of my Grandpa Hocking's favorite flower!

The rising sun painted with plants can also be seen as the setting sun depending on when we happen to be passing by these plantings. It is wonderful to meet our visiting brothers and sisters sitting on the grounds on white benches enjoying a day spent in service to their ancestors. Many Saints come from many miles sometimes traveling together as groups of all ages. Others come with just one or two other passengers to work sometimes for only a many-houred day while others are able to come with their names and remain very busy through a week or two. 

Mid-Singles Conference, 2018

The Herberge - a place where visitors performing temple work may remain - is a great place to meet and eat with friends and family. When the Mid-Singles Conference occurs - watch out - there isn't much space for anyone else to join in. What a great meeting spot! There are so many wonderful young people seeking to find one other who might be interested in so many of the same important life's decisions and desires. Sitting here in the front row is a cousin's daughter of Judith Stewart, a very dear friend and director of a choir with whom I was blessed to sing for more than 30 years!

Freiberg Tempel - International Temple

Eastern Europe to the South

Some weeks our international flavor is much more apparent than others. Because of the closing of the Frankfurt Temple, Freiberg has become the Temple for a much broader spectrum of Latter-day Saints. And even though the Temple in Kiev is closer for some Eastern European Saints to attend than Freiberg, there are many citizens of far-off countries who come once or twice a year to bring their ancestral family names and sometimes bring newly baptized family members and friends to receive their own ordinances. We have had buses come from Romania and individual cars and small buses from Croatia and Romania.

This is a group of Saints who have been here throughout this week. There was a lovely family – Branch President – and their two young children who drove here by auto. They must stop every 8 hours for safety reasons dictated by law – imagine traveling with those two young (darling) children for 36 hours from Bulgaria.

Smiling and Exhausted Bulgarian Saints

The others came by bus from Bulgaria – only taking 24 hours! Wow! They love the Temple and all the work they can do here for their ancestral family members. Because we were in charge of organizing sessions this week and we always want people to have the ordinances given/received in their own language if possible, we were able to have one of the Temple Matrons and our Temple Recorder work with them using Bulgarian, with its Cyrillic alphabet. They had made great effort to be here, and it was a blessing for us and for them as they were able to receive ordinances in their own language. The Matron who could read Bulgarian did so because she grew up in the time of the DDR – when the Communists/Russians ruled their East German land. She and her fellow students had to study Russian with the same alphabet characters. She lamented that they never really used it as a spoken language, so it wasn’t ever really developed as language, and  it certainly isn’t part of her daily language gift because of that. Her husband, on the other hand, didn’t want to learn Russian and refused to do so. He has continued not wanting to learn any other language other than German much to the loss of his being able to converse with many of those coming to the Temple and also with the main support group here in the Temple, the American, English-speaking Senior Missionaries. He is, however, a very hard-working, formidable leader. It is so fascinating to see our Temple Presidency balance each other. Our President, an Austrian, works at practicing his English often. He and his wonderful wife make this temple a place where countless times I have heard people say "It just feels like being part of a wonderful family at home." That must please our Father in His Holy House! Our other counselor is also an Austrian. He and his wife have gone home for three months to see family and set things in order before they return to become the new Temple President and Matron. He and she speak several languages well and are able to help in ordinances in French, Spanish, Hungarian, Czech, English, German and a bit of Polish. That will be a focus for them, I think.

Probably one of the most spiritual moments I've had in the Temple so far was the blessing of being able to welcome and teach a young woman coming to the Temple for the first time. Both the Temple Matron and her counselor that speak English were not in the Temple for some reason, so I was asked to help the other counselor. The sister is a beautiful young woman from Hungary who speaks beautiful English but no German. Our lovely Matron's assistant speaks German and very little English. The teaching moments of that first visit are so important, that usually it is attempted to be given in the person's native language. Her English is so good, that she was able to be taught in English. I will probably never be a temple matron's assistant, so for me those moments were so precious. She will be leaving for Lyon, France in two weeks. She will be going to Provo just when we won't be in Utah, but she said she's sure we'll meet again! She requested that we have a photo together, and I have sent her what she asked for. What blessings here. What marvelous people.

We had a chance to serve dinner to the greatest young Sister Missionaries last night! They have been phenomenal examples of service! 

One sister in the Branch is married to a wonderful elderly man. One morning she called me about another item, but at the end of the conversation she said to me that the Sisters were so spiritual. She said that they had asked if she would like to join them in a fast for her husband. She was so delighted. In these many years, no one had seemed to reach out in caring in that special way.

Sister Strong and Sister Lewis both speak German beautifully, and they are so diligent. One of them is beginning to learn Persian. They have been able to work together for six months - very unusual - but they are great examples of listening to the Spirit and also listening to each other with their contacts. The Lord has sent some wonderful spirits to work in His vineyard in these Last Days!

And speaking about international moments - this week we worked with a family coming to the Temple to do baptisms for the first time after having been baptized three months ago - they are originally from Iran. He and his wife and two small children left Iran about a year before things became impossible. He is a professor teaching in Poland for a time, but he is considering a move to teach in a German university. They came with a lovely couple serving 

Hansen's with Iranian Family

as Senior Missionaries in Poland, the Hansens. The newly baptized wife mentioned several times that the "atmosphere" was so different and special. I think that's the first time I heard someone refer to the Spirit's presence as atmosphere. However, it was very clear that the moments in the temple were very special for her. As he baptized her, I had very strong feelings about the beauty and power of the Priesthood. He was helping her do something she couldn't do for herself. In addition, of course, they were doing some things for those who have passed on that they can't do for themselves any more. What a beautiful round circle of completion the Lord has planned for His children!

April, 2018

Dietmar and Ilona Harzt with Lyn and Lee

The month of April ushered in with a musical concert at the Nicolaikirche with Ilona and Dietmar Harzt. She is a wonderful friend in the Freiberg Branch who has great interests in music which we share. She is the Music Chairwoman, and so far, we have worked together with all the missionary sisters plus Presidency wives singing "As Sisters in Zion" arranged for the German language, sung a missionary choir piece, and played a four-hand piano duet together in Sacrament Meeting.
                                                                      
We were so delighted as they invited us to attend a concert in the Nikolaikirche in downtown Freiberg.                                                                       

Nicolaikirche - exterior walls

                             


The Church was originally used in 1175. From that early time, its remaining Romanesque style was developed in the 13th century.  During the next centuries, 14th and 15th, the church was rather dramatically altered as  the very different arches of the Gothic style system were incorporated.                                             

Great changes occurred again when the building was given over for use by the city of Freiberg in the later 1900's. Since then it has been dedicated as a concert location. The acoustics and visible interior elements are wonderful. Walking into the building from the outside is like walking through walls from centuries ago right into today's world.

     
As Ilona is the Music Chair, she has scheduled me to conduct Sacrament Meeting music once a month - a pure delight for me. It is so wonderful to look out over all the wonderful Saints as we sing together. I've had a great opportunity to try to encourage other conductors to look up from their music and and actually guide the Branch singers. It is so terrific to actually notice many more people looking up. Sometimes in the past, and especially in our Temple Preparation Meetings where I have been blessed to lead the hymns each morning as we prepare ourselves for reverence and learning for the day, people stare at the hymn books as if they've never seen the words before. Of course, for some of the missionaries I can understand that. However, after a year or so, I think everyone has sung the hymns long enough to be able to look up and return my very happy musical smile! It's a goal. There's a wonderful older Brother, Brother Schmidt, a Sealer, who almost always bears his testimony by starting out: "Being the oldest member of the Branch...," in German, of course, who just beams right back at me. His darling wife does the same. Of course, the Apel Family - Frank and Helga (the senior members from President Monson's book), Angela and Heike, their daughters and their son, Jens, all have the words memorized from years, and they smile and tell me how much they can tell I love the music, too!

Angela Fröbel recently asked me if I would like to teach a Relief Society lesson. I've thought about it since, and after her great lesson today on caring and feeling a great love for all of our sisters and especially for those for whom we've been specifically called to "minister," I might suggest that we team teach a lesson. She has asked me some questions about what to do with people who are always contributing (too much for others to be able to think a minute and add), etc. I think it would be great to work together to show team teaching as a great idea AND, of course, it would be great for me to be able to work with a German!

Italian Sister with Three Temple Friends

This week in the Temple we had a great opportunity - working with a young Italian woman. She luckily spoke very good English and some German. She was converted when she met missionaries several years ago and went to the temple previously in Switzerland. Her work began this week in the Baptistry for ancestors and then other ordinances were completed throughout the Temple. It was great to work with her and try to remember some Italian from 40+ years ago. It has caused me to consider about how much Italian help I could be in the Rome Temple!

Easter Toast in Missionary Room

And, of course, with the Spring coming, we as missionaries and the Temple Presidency celebrated its arrival and the coming of Easter in our typical missionary room gathering style. Here's a great toast being given. President and Sister Erlacher on the left look very happy. They have been serving for many years in their calling - the Temple was closed for a while for renovation, but they were still responsible for its overseeing - and are beginning to feel some of the joy of returning to children and grandchildren in Austria. Their daughter and granddaughter are both living in Mexico now. I know they are going there to visit after they go home. His first counselor, Viktor Wadosch has already been announced as the next President, so their lives will definitely be changing dramatically also.

Viktor and Karin Wadosch and Heike and Peter Schoenherr

They have lived in Freiberg for three years plus - they were able to return to their home in Austria during the renovation - but they have had a nice long training time. He is an amazing linguist addition to the Temple. We have been able to assign him to help in the United Nations' veil sometimes with English, French, German, Czech and some Hungarian. I hope the missionaries will receive more training in being able to help with more of these languages. I was able to help with German and French somewhat. I would love to have learned the basics of the Czech language to help there. Some of the stability of the Temple remains as the Recorder, Peter Schoenherr has been there longer than either of these two presidents.

Lyn in Daffodil Brilliance

As thee early Spring days have come, the Temple grounds have received beautiful plantings all around. The daily daffodils have sprung up with their wonderful bright yellows and then rather quickly been replaced with new colorful pansies (my Grandpa Hocking's favorite flower).

And these pansies are patterned in amazing style - vivid sunrises from one walking direction and from another direction sunsets. It's always wonderful to see the crew arriving in their trucks. They manage to bring outside adornment to the Lord's House no matter the season. It's just another tribute to this particular House of the Lord. Of course, we haven't been to any House of the Lord that is not beautifully cared for inside and out!

Pansy Sunrise or Sunset

Even looking out our apartment window this time of year was beautiful with golden Forsythia bushes everywhere. I wouldn't trim them into this form, but they're still very wonderful reminders that Spring is next! Of course, in this photo we saw that a thundering storm was not far behind the flowering photo. I guess it takes some of that to be able to enjoy "April showers bring May flowers."

Forsythia before Storm

This photo shows a the backyard of a very lively family with children and a grandchild who were very audibly a part of our surrounds.

Lee in Quick Train Shot

Of course with all of these beautiful floral invitations to be outside, Lee and I were often there walking our 10,000 steps not quite completed by a day in the Temple. Friedeberg, a small, newer "village" right next to the Temple grounds was a favorite place to walk. There were several Freiberg Gemeinde members who lived there or very nearby in apartment buildings. I think I mentioned these homes in some of our first adventures outdoors. There were always beautiful rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, grapes, and many kinds of fruit trees all part of smaller lots which were probably only created within 10 year. Very unusual for us, there was also a train track with a speeding newer passenger train going by nearly always at 3:45 p.m. and then less frequently we'd see older freight trains duirng the weeks.We tried so many times to catch a photo of one of these trains whizzing by under very unguarded railings. One afternoon toward evening I was quick enough. It was very interesting to see these tracks and trains so near many lovely newer homes on the "right" side of the tracks with only a three foot guardrail.

Lyn as Captured Tree Moss Nymph

One day as we progressed along a path which easily took us from these neighborhood homes and yards directly into a forest right next "door," we found ourselves walking through many older trees which showed the moist climate for which Freiberg and the "Erzgebirge" (Ore Mountains) are famous.This particular part of the "Wald" had a mixture of old and newer trees. As we were walking along in the sun-setting afternoon of early Spring, I suddenly noticed standing right in front of me a "forest nymph." A quick photo of that little green one has reminded me of that lovely afternoon turning into evening in a nearby forest - memorialized!

Freiberg - Already A Year Later

Lee Measures Himself Against Silberstadt Sign

We have just a few hours during the week when we are not serving in the Temple or being specifically involved in daily life issues - food planning and shopping, typical apartment/house clean-up, washing day (Tuesday afternoons for us) As we begin to see the last 1/3 of our mission racing towards us, we have been trying to familiarize ourselves more with this beautiful city in which we have lived for a year. Several walks around in areas we  typically quickly drive by has reminded us about exploring all around to see documented Saxon history. This tall man stands next to a typical Silberstadt Freiberg city signs are found everywhere.

Freiberg was founded as noted on some official documnets in the middle of the 12th Century. The Obermarkt is in the center of the Altstadt. There are many buildings centuries old lining the often used street parking all around this much earlier market place center. I often wonder about how great it would have been then to be a missionary talking with farmers and families as well as citizens about religion. Some of the Elders and Sisters have actually had a few opportunities to set up booths and tables to meet Freibergers. The real success, of course, for missionaries is for them to be able to bring the Gospel to the homes of members - the same as at home.

Ratskeller - "Cellar" for Great Eating/Drinking

As a main fixture in this market place, there is still the traditional Rathaus, the place for political and other business conducted for the city and for other areas close by. Of course, the Ratskeller - always a favorite restaurant for locals and visiting citizens - is located next door across the street and on the corner.    

A shield over the gate of the Rathaus dates from 1775. It dates from 1510 with fortress towers and the Meissen Lion. One of the oldest seals carries the date of 1227 and notes already the "Citizens in Freiberg." 

The Renaissance "Beautiful Bay"

There are many ancient buildings - many of them seemingly have only been resurfaced with a finish of plaster nearly like painting. Sometimes we see the remains on the sides of buildings which have been replastered - makes me ponder the strength of old brick and stone constructed walls simply made "new" looking with a plastering. Wherever we drive there are such examples. Of course, there are also some remaining building facades and trims which are beautiful! This Renaissance bay window high up on its building is a very famous one found in the Burgstrasse on the corner of the Obermarkt. It was built in 1616 for the Lindners, tradesmen and then involved in the governing of Freiberg.

Ratsapotheke - seen Unadorned

Ratsapotheke - in Color

The continuing theme - Ratsapotheke - lets you know you are still close to the center of any town. A little later in the year, the flowers are hanging from boxes at each window in gorgeous colors.

Looking down to the end of the Ratshaus with its tower only a couple of months later - now beautifully decorated for the coming Summer and Fall festivities on the Obermarkt.

Splashing Around Otto the Rich

And, of course, a last look at the Market Center. Here it is being enjoyed around the fountain center honoring Otto the Rich, a Wettin ruling family member, by a bunch of Freiberg kids and friends. A splashing, spurting step-on sort of water fun that makes me want to see our grandchildren having such fun!

Our week in the Temple this week has been focused on helping some wonderful Czech Saints. They come with many temple workers now. When we first came there were only about four workers who could help each other in the ordinances. Since then, however, each quarter when they have come, there have been more workers set apart. They are such humble, gentle and helpful people. One woman and her husband used to be the strongest helpers. The wife speaks German, English, Czech, French and Polish fluently. Now they have been joined by 32 set apart Czech temple workers.

In the Baptistry there was a wonderful family of three daughters, one was here for the first time, and one tall son. The girls were so good with each other. They were here every day at 7:30 a.m. having eaten and dressed in their Sunday best. So dependable! We were able to exchange email addresses at the end of the week. I hope we will be able to be in touch. As they were going to leave, another Senior Missionary helped us all to be in a photo together. Besides those four in the Baptistry, they have two other young boys, Adam and Jonah. When we consider how far they must come to be here for their ancestors, it really makes us thankful for the easy life with which we've been blessed. It makes it all the more important for us to know we can be of service.

Heidelberg to Holland in Six Days

Heidelberg to Holland in Six Days

And so, the continuing saga across Europe from Freiberg to Paris, then Holland and finally into Belgium and back again all in only 14 days!

St. George's Church in Eisenach

Eisenach was our first stop. It is a famous historical city both in German history, architecture and especially music. We arrived in town in the early evening hours. Fortunately we pulled over and parked in front of a beautiful church, the Georgenkirche. At the time we didn't even know its name. 

Life-size Bronze of Bach

At the front door was a poster advertising a concert to be held that very evening, in fact it was to begin within a half an hour. The concert would feature music for clavichord, violin and soprano. We felt as if it had been planned around our arrival. The concert was wonderful. We sat right in front of the Trio. Immediately to our right was a baptismal font - those small ones where babies are just baptized with a sprinkle of water. 

We read after the concert that this was the baptismal font for Johann Sebastian Bach. Throughout this evening and through the next day we were to find many other amazing monuments to this great composter: the Bach Haus, a grand life-size bronze statue of the man and the famous church where he and several of his family members were organists through the 17th century. The buildings shown below were on a large poster with buildings and map of important buildings in Eisenach.

The Bach Haus was a fascinating exhibit. It is thought to be Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth home. We were greeted outside by his welcoming more than life-size statue. Inside there are explanations about and performances and demonstrations of many instruments Bach played
as he was composing and then used to showcase his own compositions. His very talented musical family included his father and his uncles. His father was a fine musician and composer and was the court organist for years. He also had many connections which allowed Bach to have very many early learning-while-doing activities. Inside the Bach Haus there is a listening room with headphones, a seating area and the opportunity to listen to as many of his compositions as are of interest to the visitors. 

Some of the Famous Eisenach Buildings to be Seen