das Ende

The last weeks of the mission are a blur.  We moved to Friedricksdorf so improvements could be made to our apartment before the Burts arrived. What a beautiful town, right next to forests and farmland. This is Gicklesberg, a nearby hill covered in cairns.

I saw this happy German on our last day. One of the few leiderhosens I saw.

Besides the beauty of Frankfurt,

we will miss our friends. Here's the zone as we left it

We grew closest to the AMA/AMHA team. Cranes (in UK), Biddulphs, Piepgrasses, Jackie Hawkins, Hackings and of course, Janice.

 Many people we will probably not see again. The wonderful Fafflock family:

the Berkhans

Elder Tim Dyches and his wife Jill. He supervised our team and Rand and he loved chatting about everything on their minds.

Sister Bakker and other young missionaries who will go their way upon their return. But there's always facebook for tracking them.

and speaking of Facebook, that's how Megan Hodun found us. She and Arvid joined us for one of our last Frankfurt dinners.

Selfless, hard-working, faithful mission presidents and wives (Daytons from Spain Barcelona Mission)

stake members and others who completed an amazing refugee service project.

Undoubtedly we will see the sweet Kennedy family again

and lastly our great friends, the Pelucchis and Janice (her family visited). 

Some friendships will continue on.

The sun sets over Frankfurt

18 month mission completed - victory!

Überreste

Leftover photos:

Janice had Sisters Bakker, Parker and us over for pizza one Monday.  We played our Loaded Questions game afterwards (including church questions such as "After your mission, what calling do you want?" or "What hymn helps you get through life?"). The girls liked it so much that they borrowed it for their zone meeting. Unfortunately they left it at the ward and somehow it was gone when they returned to look for it.  BUT blessing in disguise. As they dejectedly got on the train to their apartment, they met a woman who was interested in their gospel message... for her daughter.

Long story short, the daughter, Johanna, was baptized! Thanks to our Loaded Questions game... indirectly.  (Sister Bakker, Johann and Sister Brough)

Alex, Claudia, Katharina Faflock and Claudia's mother, who was visiting. They are THE NICEST neighbors. Alex is from Serbia and sells antiques (their home is full of them). Claudia teaches elementary school. Katharina, 16, attends a Christian school and let me correct her English paper.  Most of our mission they lived right next to us but recently moved to the 12th floor penthouse. 

They invited us for Easter dinner. 

What better place for Easter decorations than next to tombstones!

Liz Edmunds, The Food Nanny, and Steve invited us to dinner. Her favorite phrase is "It's to die for!"  And her dinner definitely was!

Here's her show

Happy Fool's Day was low key - I put saran wrap on the toilet.  When I returned from the office, Rand had done this.  Only works in a shelf toilet!

I also told the kids and a few other people that I had won a lottery and didn't know whether to keep it and/or tell Rand because he doesn't approve of gambling.  Hardly anybody fell for it.

This year's Primary class (6-year-olds)  has two Spanish speakers, one only-French (fun for me).  We read and mark a Book of Mormon scripture each week in their own copies. Here they are looking like missionaries. (better Rand and me because oftentimes we're too tired to read our scriptures at night.) 

Google Translate doesn't work perfectly.  I didn't order the "messy business" hamburger.

Speaking of, here's a sketch you might like:

Studio C's Google Translate

Brussels Bombing

A week ago we were in our 10am Medical/Mental Health team meeting and the In-Field Representative calmly announced "You've probably all heard about the bombings in Brussels. Some of our missionaries were involved." Our hearts sank as Jim Hacking told us all he knew (just 2 hours afterwards). Four missionaries from the Paris mission were at the airport - 3 elders, 1 sister. They're at different hospitals. One was a senior missionary.  I'll never forget the dismay on Rand's face as he realized Elder Norby, the Paris mission nurse's husband, was hit.

We have offered many prayers for the Norbys, Wells, Claims and Empeys. A man who lives in our building saw the badge of one of the senior missionaries and offered sympathy.  These interviews show their strong faith.

Sister "The Rock" Norbys interview
If you have facebook, try this:
https://www.facebook.com/ksltv/videos/10154348693998676/

She said "I'm grateful for all the prayers and well-wishes from people everywhere. My heart goes out to those who are suffering and maybe don't have a faith in God... They need to have someone who can help them have that -  to have hope."

Sister Claim's interview

Elder Mason Wells' interview

Our prayers are also extended to those who've lost loved ones and the survivors. Rand heard that there are 66 injured people in Intensive Care Units. He wonders how many cities could have facilities for that many critical patients.

As the medical professionals help them and Elder Biddulph, the mental health advisor and others counsel with the Paris missionaries, healing continues.

Most importantly, during this Easter season, we acknowledge the great Healer, Jesus Christ. He provides eternal comfort from this world's pain and sorrow.

24 Hours of Verschlingen

Christmas Eve and Day were a marathon of wonderfully nice people and food.

Melissa, Randall and Luc Bradford invited us, Janice and the young sisters  for Christmas Eve dinner, laughter and relaxing.

They are an amazing couple who raised their four children all over the world.  They have such credentials that Melissa wrote a book and has a blog "Global Mom"

While we stretched out and watched "Polar Express", Melissa and Randall did all the dishes! It felt like being with family since Janice would make us laugh with her one-liners "Eddie has ADD"  "Billy's house looks like mine without the porch" and more. Luc laughed at us and Sisters Parker and Bokker as well.

 And they sent us out the door with gifts of Belgian chocolate and The Body Shop boxes of pampering oils. Are they the nicest?!

Christmas morning the senior missionaries, mission president Stoddards and others had a brunch together.  Diane Hacking arrived on their mission just in time to decorate our tables in high style. Yvonne Bausman always gives us direction.

I was in charge of the program so we just did the Ryser family Christmas program - taking turns reading Luke 2, 3Nephi 1 and singing carols. (Same green sweater - missionary wardrobe only includes one holiday color sweater)

Jim Hacking reading his part: 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace

After filling up at brunch, we gathered Janice and the sisters and went to Luca, Isabella and Silvia Pelucchi's home for an incredible Italian dinner!  Remember Silvia is the one who made us the best lasagna I've ever eaten last summer.

They prepare the food for days and spread it out all over the house.  This is the tray of homemade ravioli in their bedroom:

Can you tell we're with Italians?

Pandoro di Verona for dessert

Our kind neighbors, the Fafflocks, invited us for dessert and "crackers". It seems that whenever they see something written in English, they buy it for us - so nice!

The "feast" of the day was doing Google Hangout with all the kids - from Utah to Boise to Vancouver, WA.  The best gift besides the Savior is family!

Goings and Comings

 A mission is a microcosm of life since people are in and out of our lives at a much faster pace than in regular life. Missionaries leave and other wonderful people take their job, adding their own personality to it.

Here's our last Tuesday morning team meeting with Sharon and Dale Greenwood.


On the screen are AMAs, Jan and Sterling Piepgrass and Sharon and Harvey Hatch who are in England and Southwest Germany on a temporary basis. Sure enough a new couple will come in January to mix things up.

Church-service missionary, Artur Amoyan, served faithfully in the area office. 

He deserved a great farewell party!

Debbie and Richard Riggs are replaced as zone leaders by Krystal and John Mills. Sister Berkhahn and her husband who have served in the area office previously, returned.

June and Gordon Smith have been a devoted In-Field Representative couple...

... now being replaced by Jim and Diane Hacking. 

As I imagine how loved ones of the Paris attack victims are feeling right now, our simple goings and comings are insignificant.

Was Geht Ab? (what's up)

So what's going on in Frankfurt?

Discovering the unexpected is so fun in a new city.  We rode our bikes to the Goethe University and happened across  "The Body of Knowledge" sculpture by Spaniard Jaume Plensa.

It's the same sculpture that Nick enjoyed in Zaragoza, Spain on his mission. There it's called "El Alma del Ebro"   They called it "Letter Man". It represents cells of the human body which is over 60% water. The white letters and hollow structure "invite the viewer to look inside and reflect on the relationship between human beings and water." 

The September Blood Moon showed up here like everywhere else.

Harvest time.  People live in high rises so there are communal gardens (Schrebergärtens) all over Frankfurt.

Learn about Schrebergärtens here

Grape-growing has gone on at Lohrberg since the 9th century. Some of these grapes make Frankfurt apfelwein.

Here's the tombstone graveyard where they toss them after the 15 to 30 year expiration of "owning a grave".  If a family is unable or unavailable to renew the lease, the grave’s contents are removed and the grave site reverts to state ownership and may be reused.

Schultütes for sale.  When children set off for their first day in school upon entering first grade, their parents and/or grandparents present them with a big cardboard cone, prettily decorated and filled with toys, candies, school supplies, and various other goodies. That's one German tradition I may take with us to the US.

We love our ward.  Last night they put on an "International Evening" where members from thirteen countries put out displays of food, videos, crafts, costumes, games and more. Amazing and eye-opening about how we're having a once-in-a-lifetime experience here.  This is the Italian group - notice Silvia with the red, white and green fingernails.  (She and I do CSM work together.)

The senior missionaries know how to have fun too. We had a Book of Mormon Mystery night. The Greenwoods adapted it to modern times and five tables tried to solve the murder mystery.  These are the maids - pretty good for women who brought everything they own in two suitcases, eh? (Sisters Matheson, Saunders, Hanks, Riggs, Bausman)

The day after I returned from Nick's graduation, Rand presented a "Seniors and Exercise" speech to some temple missionaries. As the meeting started, we realized that we were being welcomed and singing in German. Rand had an elder translate for him, thinking it would be faster but realized his German was better than the brother. Then the sister who was translating for the French missionaries had to leave early so guess who was left - yes, me. Pretty hilarious with a jet-lagged brain and 38-year-old French. Yea for body language.

This is most of our medical team celebrating Dale Greenwood's and Gordon Smith's birthdays. We have become very close as we pray for, discuss and sometimes weep about sick missionaries.

(Biddulphs, Smiths, Rand, Greenwoods, Hawkins. Purdy absent)