Sister Gertrude Roth

Mission blog  June 2, 2012

It is amazing where life choices, particularly when we are young, takes us.  We have been visiting a very sweet almost 80 years old, lady Elfrieda Thibaut.  She shares my birthday August 5.  She was never able to have children.  She chose a good man but not a member of the church and with no desire to go.  So she fell into inactivity.  When he died she moved to Freilassing, Germany as it was cheaper to live.  She is very weak and stuggles with health issues.  She spends a lot of lonely hours.  She looks so forward to our visits.  There are two others who visit her about once a week.  She really is a cute tiny lady.  I think she loves seeing Elder Storrer as he makes her laugh and she forgets her troubles.

This afternoon we were invited to visit with Sister Gertrude Rot.  A very lovely 83 year old lady.  She lost her husband at a very young age leaving her a widow with two young sons to raise.  At that time she made a 15 km trip, by bike carrying her two young sons to church, twice every Sunday.  That meant that she rode 60 km every Sunday rain or shine or snow.  We have heard her oldest son Stephan express his fond memories of the Freilassing Chapel.  Today she has two very active sons.  One is on our stake high council, and the other is just completing a mission the 30^th of this month, as mission president in Bulgaria.  She has two grandsons who are serving as Bishop and Branch President.  All of her married children and grandchildren have temple marriages.  Julia, one of our JAE is 28 and would love to be married, but she is keeping her standards high rather than marry outside of the church, or unworthily.

As she expressed this afternoon.  “I don’t judge anyone else, I just know that I wanted the best for my boys and I worked hard to provide a living for them.  I could have married again, but I was not going to marry someone who might not love my boys and have their best interests at heart.  I feel that I have been greatly blessed and rewarded for my choices and endeavors.  Others that I know made different choices and things were and are different for them.  I only know that I believe my choices were right for me and my family.