Refugee Crisis

I feel that we're in the middle of an historic moment and place here in Germany.  The Refugee Crisis has been going on for years but 2015 marks the largest onslaught of refugees into Europe. Here's a

Visual look at the migration

Of course immigration is a controversial topic, within the EU as well as within each country. I've gone through my own pondering of what's happening.

Last winter I'd see these stickers around town and think "Tut tut. The underground movement is busy trying to sneak illegal refugees into Germany. That's a bad idea." Germans and others talk about how Europeans are being outnumbered by Muslims and it's changing the culture.

and I tended to agree with this protest banner:

As time and personal education has gone on, I'm more open to welcoming people into Europe.  I think the "Christian" culture in Europe has already changed by secularism. And with familiarity comes comfort. One of the most friendly clerks at our little grocery store wears a hijab. Most Muslims have close families. Finally where else can they go?!

I inserted new words as I read the Book of Mormon recently:   And they gathered together all their people... and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of (Hungary from the land of Austria), and came over near the borders of the land. And it came to pass that (Angela Merkel) said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of (the EU), and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into the (EU) land...  And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up (some of) the land (of the EU)...  And behold, we will set our armies, that we may protect our brethren... Alma 27:14-23   Sounds like the right thing to me.

Poor Angela Merkel. Her ratings are going down in the polls but I think she's doing the right thing. She has made rallying cries such as: a Germany that turned away refugees “would not be the Germany I want”. "When someone says, 'this is not my Europe, I won't accept Muslims...' then I have to say, this is not negotiable," she insisted.

And she repeated her message that Europe "won't be able to transform into a fortress," looking back at the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago. "The refugees won't be stopped if we just build fences. That I'm deeply convinced of, and I've lived behind a fence for long enough," she said. (She grew up in East Germany)

Aware of the uncertainty of how this will all come out and its controversy, this morning in our devotional, the head of the Europe Area office explained to us how the Church is providing for the poor and needy in Europe. A medical camp is being funded in Italy, money is being provided for country-wide and stake-wide projects. Our youth helped sort at a local household goods center Saturday.

And this isn't new. Here's how the LDS Church

 help has been going on since 2013

However, this graffiti isn't so welcoming. :)