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.