Continued lessons in Missionary Work, and working with Members

September 9, 2012

Missionary work is hard enough but when one runs into logger heads because of Culture it is discouraging.

The standard here is Socialism.  If you are not using it, it belongs to others.  Sister Zaugg, had set a standard that I did not understand.  She had JAE things spread around the church, and much of it in cupboards that could not be found or used by the members because it was under lock and key.  I gathered it all up and organized it neatly in a box in the allotted cupboard.

We had a baptism two weeks ago, and after the baptism I watched them using the disposable plates, and other items from the closet.  Well I was glad that they had felt comfortable using things.  But then I was a little chagrined  when they left the reusable items just sitting in the kitchen.  I was even a little disturbed, when Heinz the man who was baptized was cleaning up.

I noticed that they had just shoved the unused stuff back in the box.  So later in the week I went into to organize and was really disturbed and in shock.  The JAE had not been meeting at all since the middle of July.  I needed the napkins and found that Sister Zaugg's huge stash of napkins were almost depleated.  I had purchase straws for the JAE, the bag had been torn open, and the straws were dumped out.  I had purchased some plastic dipping cups, but change of program had not even opened the box, and they were gone.  Also the box was totally disorganized as they had pawed through it.  The foils and wraps and boxes of plastic bags had been thrown around.  These were from JAE funds.

Well I was read y to get one of our carry all plastic boxes and haul everything down to the computers that are locked up.  But as we talked about it, Elder Storrer laughed and said, "they live the united order."  But then he added,  actually this is Socialism.  They are required to share.  They really don't know any different.

Then I thought of all the extra stuff that I had gathered up, and realized that Sister Zaugg had such a large stash of knives and forks, and other stuff, that she herself had probably gathered up a lot of left over stuff, believing that she was saving JAE funds.  So some of the stuff they had used probably belonged to them anyway.  So the only thing I am really disturbed about now is the stuff that I have in the past purchased and set in the kitchen for JAE use on a Sunday, All put together in a box. It was all there for an obvious purpose. yet some sister decided she wanted my green hot sauce and took it..

I remember the other CES couples complaining that if they put anything in the church fridge a day early that the YM and YW program would eat it, even if they labeled it for JAE use only.  Now I realize that it is just their way of life and we have to work around it.

Even the Saints here are against Romney because he is a conservative.  We do our best to avoid any political discussion, so they say to our face.  They don't understand Americans at all.  Of course not they moved through Kaizer's, Natzism, and now Socialism.  They have "vacation time,"  It is about 8 weeks from middle of July through August.  Everyone are required to take their vacations then.  They might as well shut down Austria at that tijme.  And then we see those required to take 5 months of vacation because they had a baby.   And at a very reduced rate of what they normally make.  Then we see the tax 50% to support the nonworkers.  Yet they cannot understand why we cling to a piece of paper, "The constitution."  Many admit that they really don't understand Americans.  Well we have no choice but to cater to Socialism, and believe me the Freedom of America has become more precious to us.    It is hard to watch things unfold in America because we see the bad side of it here.  These people really don't have a clue and want for America what they have here.  Thank goodness none of them can vote.

Mission Blog  August 29, 2012  Wednesday

It has been sometime since adding to the blog.  Lots have happened.  The church had put the Institutes under the Stakes.  From the time that Elder Perry had his vision of how the church would survive because of the young adults, here in Europe, there has been transitions developed and created.  It was decided that each Institute would have their own center.  Larger ones were given institute centers, while the smaller ones would stay in chapels.  There were great programs created to keep the centers open where the young adults could come, study, play games and bring friends.  It had a three fold purpose, which still exists.  Getting our young men on missions, couples married in the temple and raising families in the church, reactivate the less active and bring other young adults into the social network of the centers where they could eventually embrace the gospel of Christ.

Problem was the CES couples who have gone a little overboard.  We were only to be shadow leadership, encouraging where we could, but mainly doing for the program what the young adults could not do.  It was to encourage team teaching allowing the young adults to learn and practice the skills of teaching the gospel, or leading in gospel discussion.  It was their program, and  we were here to support it.  But to many CES couples or center couples treated them more like teenagers and got carried away with the program.  When we arrived back in February and Elder Storrer announced that it was their program, they were to decided how they wanted it ran.  Well they pretty much froze.  Our JAE president looked helpless.  Then it was almost as if they wanted to disband it.  They let us know that they considered anything beyond Thursday night institute a burden, and seemed happy with all the Austrian holidays that fell on Thursday, and the ready excuse they had that institute would not be held.  They also quickly announced that they did not want Family Home Evening as they lived at home and wanted to attend their family home evenings.  The new Bishop, not understanding that our calling was to the YSA told us we were to have FHE with the older single adults and new members.   Elder Storrer in his enthusiasm got a little carried away trying to support the Bishop, because he has the keys, even when President Miles informed him the the Stake President held the keys for our calling.  He really wanted to get out a proselyte like the young missionaries.  He was really disappointed when it became obvious because of my bad knee he could not do it.  He was even disgusted with another Senior Missionary who informed him that we did not have to do that.  Well Elder Holland in last October conference had tried to encourage the Seniors by telling them that their missions are different from the young missionaries.  Then when our confused Bishop called our mission President, who informed him that our first job is working with the YSA, and if we were not going to be used in that capacity, he would pull us from Salzburg.  By that time Elder Storrer was finally catching on that our first job is working with the YSA, and the second is working in Membership and leadership support.  So we had to create a meeting with him and help him understand that we have a lot of down time working in the YSA, and that is when we give the ward membership support.

So we go to Vienna early this month to a Tagung for the YSA and spend at least one hour everyday with the regional leadership, area Seventy, and also First Quorum of Seventy leadership.  Just as we thought we were getting a handle on things, the rug got tugged again.  It is no longer called “Outreach Centers” but rather “The Stake Program for Young Single Adults.”  But it was how we envisioned it was to run.  No two groups are alike.  No two groups have the same needs.  Also Gerald and Traudi Roth, a newly returned mission president and his wife were called as our new institute teachers.  And Traudi is also been called as the Stake Institute Director.  Their youngest child Julia is 28.  She is a very pretty girl, with the ideals of a worthy man who will take her to the temple.  But she has gone on to create a career so that she can support herself.  (We saw this in others at the Tagung.  What choice do they have.  They lived through her needs and desires, and struggles trying to support and over active “Outreach program”  She tried to do it all, but was exhausted.  As the Roth’s have talked to others they see that the Institute program here in Salzburg needs to pull in it’s horns a bit.  Everyone of our JAE are apprentices.  They work long hard hours as they learn their trade.  Coming to Institute is not always an option because of this.  Supporting nightly activities is definitely not an option.  And in the past with the overzealous CES Missionaries they have been made to feel guilty by not being so involved.

Thus came the rebellion against FHE and weekly Friday activities.  These kids will turn ropes to get to Tagung, and even sometimes to their dismay they cannot even do that.

Our institute program covers , two wards and hundred’s of square miles.  Some of these kids live so far away, they don’t even make it to church.  Some get to those Tagungs, and some have gone inactive.  So it alone is a challenge. 

The second problem is the location of the church.  If they catch a train into Salzburg, it can be a long train ride.  Then they have to catch a bus at the Bahnhof and it is two buses and at least 35 more minutes, minimum if they don’t have to wait for the second bus.

To come to institute, they really have to want to come.  We have done well enough to average 8 in attendance.  They have agreed to one activity a month.  In November the stake announced a Formal Ball in November.  That will be their activity to decorate, and un decorate, besides the Ball.  They are happy to do that but do not want another activity on top of that.  As we talked to the Roth’s it was so good to see we are on the same page, and not feel guilty by comparing ourselves to the notebooks of our predecessors.  Traudi did not leave any stone unturned in telling us that what ever we do we are not to make them feel guilty.

We have felt like we are on a roller coaster in the dark, never really knowing what is around each bend.  We lost our first President to marriage, our second to school in Wien and excited to be with a larger, more enthusiastic group.  So Josua Brunner was called as our new president.  The first thing he did was talk to Karl Sikora, the High Counselor over the institute program for the stake.  He told them that they hated the stage, and wanted a better room.  They also would prefer to have the kick ball game and the pool table taken away, and replaced with two tables that they could sit around.  They wanted the collapsible bulletin board, “one of those folding clothes changing  screens”  Elder Storrer and I could not agree with him more.  The games are so crowded that they are worthless and are never played.

Elder Storrer had a dream that we needed to be working below the foundation, and we believe that these YSA, if allowed to run their own program the way they want it run, it will be more successful.  So we are in total support.

And it is interesting when the inspiration is right, you are not the only one who has it.

And we have also be working with Sean Baillargeon our grandson, as well as taking out time of our P-Days to help him see the sites.  We went to Bertsches Gaden and the Eagle’s Nest,  The World War II museum and Hitler’s bunker.  He truly was a mad man.  Sadly it is shocking the parallels of his skeams plans and programs to what is happening in America.  The idiots who claim that the Holocaust didn’t happen have never witnessed the Nazi’s own photography, or the evidence.  They have their own wicked agenda.

The people here only have known Kaizers and Socialism.  They cannot begin to understand American’s and our fight to maintain our Freedoms.  We all need to be praying for our nation daily.  Or because of the wickedness that it will end shortly, so the Savior can come.  Those who don’t want it to happen, so they can make their’s first, are not only living in a dream world, but it is all about them.  Their eye is not upon the Savior and his love for us.  We see the selfishness of man, and it is heart breaking.

We also went to BurgHausen and finally went through the longest Castle in the world.  It was built on a narrow ridge, and protected two bodies of water, for the transportation of the salt.  We saw one doorway built in 1080  and another that indicated it was still being built in the 1500s.  I have never seen so many twists, turns and many different angles in one building in my life.

The gospel is true.  It is founded on the love of our Savior.  Matthew 22:37-40  Says it all.  It is founded upon loving our Savior and loving our neighbor.  On these two principles hang all the laws of the prophets.  We are promised in Moroni 7:46-48 That everything fails—but—Charity never faileth.  And we are told what we are not worth, when we fail at Charity in 1 Corinthians 13.    That is what counts most and is more successful.

When the members of the ward pray for the missionaries to find those prepared, and for those who are prepared to find the missionaries, it really works.  We have seen the struggles to find and teach those who are not prepared.  But when they are prepared, it comes together on the Lord’s time.

Juli 29,   Forgot.  We are in the new wohnung.  We are about 99% moved in. We are waiting for the back order of the new desk, and chairs.  But even the pictures are hung.  We have one mirror, left, but have to borrow a drill for it, as the walls are all cement.  They say that they don't have earthquakes here.  Hope  that isn't the famous last words.  Send pictures of it in the next blog.  Now I have to get Norm up from his nap so we can plan out a very busy week.  Love to you all.

Blog Juli 29. Today I was humbled--in a righteous way.

Mission Blog Juli 29

Interesting day.  We were asked to speak in church again by our GML, Bruder Malzl.  Neither of us understood.  We thought it was Sacrament Meeting.  Instead it was the 5^th Sunday.  He asked me to speak about Loving Mankind, and how it helps in doing missionary work.  So I set about writing it in English and translating it in German.  If I am going to speak to a congregation of German speaking people, I figure it is better that I do it in German, because listening to the translation in English, I recognize that a lot gets lost in translation.

So Thursday he calls telling us that he has mailed a slide show, and wants us to speak around it.  Elder Storrer tells me and I tell him that I don’t understand how it is going to work, and since I have th preprepare the talk, there is no way I can meet his expectations.  Sure enough we get there today and he doesn’t want me to read it, but rather say, “something from the heart spontaneously, even if I have to say it in English and have it translated.  I balked.  For the first time I would learn that he wanted me to tell how loving mankind has helped me in missionary work.  I told him that I could not speak off the cuff like that, and what I had written came from the heart.  Then he asked to see it, and immediately saw three pages, and told me there was no way I could cut it.  He did not recognize one page was strictly English and in small print.  He thought he saw ½ hour talk.  When in reality I had about a page and 1/3 in number 16 font and spaced.

So Elder Storrer picked out 5 lines and says give this.  I was furious.  I asked Br. Malzl, “If I give it in English how much time do I have to allow someone to translate it.”  I was in tears of pure frustration by this time.  When he thought about it, and asked to look at the talk again, and handed the two pages, he realized that it was not that long, and said to give it all.  Then he told Elder Storrer to watch him as he would probably have to cut his because of time.  Well, If I could help it that was not going to happen.  So I was furiously cutting the non essentials.

In the end I had to find a room and commune with my Father-in-Heaven.  After all it was all about loving mankind.  I felt prompted to put back in the part of forgiveness.

The talk was plenty short, I gave it in German, but tears streamed down my face because I had said, (in german of course”  Moroni 7:37-40  Tells us, “everything faileth, but the Lord has given us a great promise that “Charity never faileth.”

Then I went on to tell the story of how I had to forgive.  That is when the tears started to roll.  It was with deep humility that I finished and then before I left the stand I apologized to Brother Malzl.  I am sure everyone wondered what that scene was about.  I felt good and I felt humble and I felt a little embarrassed that would stay with me until we departed from the church.

I have noted that this is the most important commandment we have been given.

This commandment has the greatest blessings.

Yet this commandment is the hardest to keep.

It is the one tool Satan cannot possess, and he cannot even imitate it.  So he uses other tools,

Pride, anger, selfishness, (the opposite of charity,) for we are promised if we find ourselves we have lost ourselves, but if we lose ourselves in the service of others we will find ourselves.  So the real joy is in losing ourselves.

So here is the talk as I gave it:  I used the RS message this month as it was perfect

Nehmen Sie sich die Zeit, darüber nachzu/denken, was sie tun können,  liebe für andere die nicht mitglieder unsere Gemeinde sind zu zeigen. .

Let us take a moment to think about what we can do to show that we have love for others.

Las uns die neue und weniger aktive Mitglieder ausreichen.

Let us reach out to new and less-active members.

Sie vorbehaltlos lieb haben

Love them undcontionally

über sie wachen und ihren Glauben stärken, „einen nach dem anderen“ – so, wie der Erretter es getan hat (siehe 3 Nephi 11:15)

Watch over them and strengthn their faith „one by one“ as the Savior did 3 Nephi 11:15

uns um Einsame kümmern und um diejenigen, die Trost brauchen

Reach out to the lonely or those in need of comfort.

Wir können Wege finden, um ihnen zu dienen.

We can find ways to serve them.

 

Der Erlöser hat uns versprochen, dass wir die lieben, die wir dienen.

The Savior has promised us that we will love those we serve.

Es ist sehr wichtig, dass wir uns gegenseitig verzeihen. Wir können nicht lieben, die wir nicht verzeihen. Genauso Wichtig ist es das wir uns selbst schaden, wenn  wir unsere Herzen verschliessen.  Christus gebot uns alle zu vergeben, das heisst, wir müssen uns selbst auch unsere übertretungen vergeben.

It is important that we forgive one another.  We cannot love those we cannot forgive.  But just as important we do more harm to ourselves when we lock our heart.  Christ commanded us to for give always.

Einmal habe Ich eine probleme mit einer Frau gehabt, es schien mir das sie mich immer schaden wollten. Mein Zorn hat mich verzehrt.  Ich merkte, dass ich  meine Familie auch dadurch shadete.  Der Geist Christi war nicht in meinem Herz.  Dann verzieh Ich ihr.

I once struggled with forgiving a woman who always seemed to want to hurt me.  My anger consumed me.  I realized I was hurting my family as well.  The spirit of God was not in my heart.  I forgave her.

Schließlich war meine Seele in Frieden, und ich fühlte die Liebe meines Erlösers wieder.

Finally my soul was at peace and i felt the love of my Savior again.

Wir sollten einander lieben, wie wir den Herrn unseren Gott lieben. Wir können es nicht tun es sei denn, wir uns selbst lieb haben.

We are to love each other as we love the Lord our God.  We can do neither unless we love ourselves.

In rewriting this I realize that I left out some importance that connected things together.  Oh, well.

Found this oak tree leaves—probably knocked off in yesterday’s storm.  I have only seen an acorn this large and like this in pictures.  So I am sending this to you so, if you haven’t either you can see it in a picture like me.

Found this oak tree leaves—probably knocked off in yesterday’s storm.  I have only seen an acorn this large and like this in pictures.  So I am sending this to you so, if you haven’t either you can see it in a picture like me.  This may be a hair bigger, when I hold the original up to it.

Mission  Blog.  July 16, 2012

I have had a very spiritual experience.  When we first arrived, and at our second GML (ward missionary council meeting)  We were asked to introduce ourselves by telling about our first mission.  Elder Storrer told about his first mission and then they said to me in English, “Sister Storrer, tell us about your first mission.”

I thought, now I never went on a mission when I was young.  And then the thought came to me that yes I did, I had chosen to be a mother.  But I did not have vocabulary enough to tell it.  I was told that most understood English and I could speak it in English.  So I began.  “As a mother of ten children my mission was to teach them to love the Lord and want to serve him.  The spirit just took over and I bore my testimony about reading the Book of Mormon as a family daily and how I know it is why all of our children are active in the church and married to wonderful spouses who also love the Lord and want the same for their children.

Brother Schubert, the ex mission president to Berlin  and also a professional translator, (which I did not know at the time,) asked me to please write that up and give me a copy.”  This I did.  Several weeks later he gave it back to me and when I thanked him for it, he told me that I needed to talk about that sometime.

So here we are 5 ½ months later.  It had been nagging me that I needed to  bear my testimony using that.  Well it was longer than any testimony I have given here, so I thought maybe I would rewrite it.  I went to get it out of the drawer and could not find it.  So now I figured I really had an excuse not to use it.  I opened the internet to Babylon translator and also word and began to write it.  Now the second is seldom as good as the first, but I thought I would have Norm proof it as Babylon is not perfect, expecially when they can only translate and miss the spirit of it.  Also the word for sealed is locked, so they miss LDS religious translations as well.  That was Monday the 9^th.

Wednesday the 10^th in the evening a call came.  I knew it was Bruder Martinz, the excutive Secretary to the Bishop. Because E. Storrer had acknowledged him.  The conversation was in English, so I knew immediately that he had asked if I would speak, and they would have some one translate for me.  I told E. Storrer, that I had prepared a talk and it was in German.  This he relayed.  Well B. Martinz said that he would have to clear the subject with the Bishop.  E. Storrer asked him what the subject was, and it was perfect.  As it was about teaching our children to understand the gospel.

We immediately went to work.  In the end I went back to the drawer and found the first, right on top where I had put it.  I would combine items from the two testimonies and add some quotes. 

We would revise that talk about 6-7 times as it was done carefully and prayerfully.  Then I would read it over and over for word pronunciation.  I would also compare it to the English that was written first, and continually changed. With each revision, it was almost like starting over.  Each change, each addition had to be learned the same way.  I knew I could never just give it, but it would have to be read.  I also knew they would forgive me.  But I also knew that I had to have the right intonations and  pauses, and able to let them know I knew what I was talking about.  I also know that I can slaughter the German with thick English pronunciation.  So I took it several times to the Lord.   I only asked him that if it was what he wanted me to say that he help me by loosening my tongue.  I told him it did not have to be perfect, but understood so that they could grasp the message.

I also knew that I had to work hard and be as prepared as I could be so that the Lord knew the intent of my heart and would help me.  So I arrive at church, with no other accompanist for either Relief Society, or Sacrament Meeting, including practicing before church with the choir.  Now having to sight read German hymns at the last minute is not easy.  I had practiced the choral number, but went through the four songs the congregation would be singing and one was in German.  I saw a very full plate, but it did help me take my mind off of the talk.

When I stood to speak I began to stumble over the German and so a prayer went quickly through my mind. By the second paragraph it was all familiar to me, and flowed rather smoothly.  I had to concentrate very hard on what I was saying  Then as the spirit took over tears started to flow down my cheeks and I had to stop several seconds gather my courage and strength.  I knew that tears would blur what I was reading.

As we talked about it, prayed about it and kept reworking it, suddenly Elder Storrer said “I feel strongly that this may be the most important thing we do while on our mission.  It is true.  As we have studied the rolls of the church, I have had such strong feelings.  As we study our YSA lists for both wards, I have been disturbed.  We have over 65 JAE age and only 8-9 average in attendance to institute.  Granted some of those invited to institute are married, and raising families and also very active in church.  Some live so far away and the church is clear across town from the Bahnhoff making it possibly a bus ride, a train ride, and two more bus rides to get to church.  Some of them live far enough away that attending church regularly is almost an impossibility, especially in the winter when they are snowed in, in mountain villages.  These kids attend all of the Taglungs.  But many of them, especially the young men are not active, and the rolls indicate that most were only deacons or priests or no priesthood at all.  Interestingly many are from active parents.  In one family the younger brother was a teacher while the older brother held no priesthood.  I asked myself why.  Each time it would come to me how Bruder Schubert asked me to give my testimony and experience of teaching our children by daily reading of the Book of Mormon.  The spirit had been working on me for several months, until it was too strong to quit the procrastination.

This was not my talk. It was the Lord’s talk.  I was only the messenger.  I felt like Moses and Enoch when they told the Lord that they were slow in speech.  It was very humbling knowing that I speak very little German, haltingly and turning to Elder Storrer for vocabulary words—even of words I know but can never remember.  Yet Elder Storrer told me that I only messed up on the pronunciation of two words, and he understood it all.  The missionaries assured me that they could understand it very well.  Sister Roth asked me if she could take my talk to reread, and promised to bring it back the next Sunday.  I had thought that maybe she didn’t understand it, so was a little worried, until Norm reminded me that the Lord always keeps his promise.  (Which was in my talk.)  Satan will always have us doubt, if he can.  So I pray that it helped at least one family.

For my posterity here is the English version of what I gave:

If we are building a house we use a plan.  Without using the plan and proper tools our house could not be built.  Heavenly Father has given us a wonderful plan for our house and he has given us the tools to build it.  The two most important tools are Scripture and prayer.

Today our children need to understand the scriptures. They need to be spiritually converted while young.  It will happen in the homes where scripture study and prayer is a daily habit.

In last April Conference Sister Cheryl of the Primary General Presidency said, “This divine privilege of raising our children is a much greater responsibility than we can do alone, without the Lord’s help.  She also said, “Teaching our children to understand is more than just imparting information.  It’s helping our children get the doctrine into their hearts.

The mother is the spiritual guide in the home. She plans Family Home Evening, insists on daily Scripture study and insists on family prayer, when father is not available or does not do it.

I have a testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon, in raising children.  Joseph Smith said, “I told the brethren that if they keep its precepts, they will come closer to God than by any other way”.

My mission was to raise 10 children to love the Lord and want to serve him.  As an LDS mother my goal was to raise all my sons so that they would desire to serve missions.  All six sons and one daughter chose to serve a mission for their Heavenly Father.

In 1974 my mother called me.  While visiting the Idaho Falls Temple with President Spencer W. Kimball, Marion G. Romney gave a promise that if we read the Book of Mormon to our children daily, they would be obedient.

As a young mother with 7 children who were typical  I wanted them to be obedient.  And so we started reading the Book of Mormon every day.  Sometimes it was hard.  Sometimes we would forget.  But we continued to get better about it and it became a habit.

In the April conference of 1986 President Ezra Taft Benson reaffirmed the promise of  Marion G. Romney.

In our home prayer was a very vital part of our lives.  This included Priesthood blessings.  It was so common that our 3 year old son, concerned that his father was ill, placed his hands upon his head and attempted to do for his father what his father had done many times for him.

Their father loved the Lord and during every evening meal he would lead discussions about the Gospel of Christ and teach our children as we ate. We taught them to love one another and to love other people.  We taught them that this was one of the most important things they could do.  On his first day of preschool, our youngest son was skipping along beside me.  He kept saying, “I hope they will like me.  Oh, I hope they will like me.”

I told him, “Degen if you are always kind to people they will always like you.” 

When our third son was sixteen, he wanted to rebel.  He decided that he would no longer read scriptures or attend family prayer.  So his father went to him.  He shared the family daily scriptures with him and then knelt beside him to pray.  His brother reported that he always prayed before bedtime.  I guess his father made it too hard for him to rebel.  Today this son is sealed in the temple to a wonderful woman.  He sees that his children study the Book of Mormon daily, because he has a testimony of it.

We have ten children.  7 Served missions.  All ten are married in the temple and trying to teach our grandchildren with daily family prayer and scripture study.  I believe the promises made by the servants of the Lord. We need a very strong generation of children to withstand the worldly temptations that lead us away from God.  In D&C it tells us, “to stand in Holy Places and be not moved until the Savior comes.”

Daily prayer and studying the scriptures helps us stand in that Holy Place, our homes, which fulfills the Saviors’ promise.

Yes, I am happy that all of my children are faithful.  But I bear you this testimony because we are being sent god’s most valiant spirits There is a way that they will resist the world’s temptations.  Our prophets are always telling us to pray daily and study our scriptures daily as a family.  This is the most powerful tool we have to influence our children to love the Lord and stay close to him.

.

Today when family get together the talk always turns to discussing the gospel.  We are always excited to share a recent discovered scripture to learn and strengthen each other.  This is not just our children but also our sons and daughters-in-law.  It has become a tradition in our family.  And we have noticed the same tradition with some of the families here in Salzburg.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this became the tradition that all Salzburger families were famous for.  How that would strengthen God’s kingdom in Austria.

Bruce D. Porter of the council of Seventies

” Those who honor the calling of righteous parenthood will find their souls refined, their hearts purified, and their minds enlightened by the most important lessons of life.”

I say this in the Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

Mission Blog  July 8, 2012

This is the Lankmayer's in Mauterndorf.  We took a sacrament meeting to them.  What a wonderful day it was.  And what a wonderful sweet humble couple they are.  With no chance to attend church in years, they have remained so faithful.

Part of the old city wall that protected Salzburg

Some of the old architecture, they want to replace with modern square marble and glass.  And 81% do not want to lose their historic old city.  After all it is one of the 5 most popular places to visit in Europe.

The missionaries with us in Mauterndorf, viewing the town before we met with the Lankmayers at the appointed time.  Most of the buildings in this part of town date before 1600

 This was the Kugelmuhle where they made large marble balls.  They were sold to the ships for ballasters.  Then they sold them in other ports as a popular decor for homes and etc.  This is also where the small playing marble and game was created.  I know that my dad owned a genuine marble, marble.  I am not sure which brother has it today.

 We were driving straight to the Untersberg to see if their was a shortcut to less actives that we visit monthly. We not only found it, but stumbled up this as well as a museum for the history of marble.  The Untersberg is pretty much made of marble.

This is the birth place of Joseph Mohr who penned "Silent Night."  We stumbled on to this while in the Alt Stadt one day.

So President Gerald Roth just returned as the mission president from Bulgaria.  He was over about 73 missionaries.  They did a fireside presentation Friday evening.  There were 8 missionaries from our Zone boundaries in attendance.  Before they got started he introduced us all.  He was a great mission president; you can tell.  When he first entered the chapel he came up to us and put his arms around our shoulders, very lovingly asked us about ourselves and our mission..  His English was excellent.  As a young man he served his mission in England.  But then his brother also speaks excellent English, as well as his wife.  

They presented a slide show.  Wow!  What a mission.  Bulgaria is a very poor country.  Last Sunday during a testimony he told how they found them, every morning going through their garbage for food.  So they started to leave bags of good food out for them.  Friday he told how all those years of Communism destroyed these peoples will to even earn enough to survive.  In Communism they were given their homes which they still own.  They only have to purchase the Utilities, but hardly have the desire to do that.  However, there are those who are naturally ambitious.  He showed slides of the different Branches, which are about twenty in Bulgaria.  Because there are no stakes he was considered the spiritual leader of the whole mission.  This was on top of being a mission president.

It is beautiful country.  We saw slides also of old historic ruins, dating well before Christ.  He also excpressed that it is a very sad country, as there are so few children.  Prostitition is so rampid that you see 28 year old grandmothers, and 12 year old prostitutes.  In every slide of Branches one would be lucky to see two children. 

However, those old enough are going on missions.  It seems that the more affluent or ambitious are the ones joining the church.  That is probably a good thing for the church to begin to grow.  And it is a relatively new mission, and it is growing and the saints are on fire.  They attend the Kief, Ukraine temple. 

We are working to rebuild our institute.  As we are moving to a new Wohnung we have been cleaning out.  There were notebooks after notebooks of collected materials of those who have gone on before us.  We were amazed in 2004=5 there were 30 relatively active JAE.  They held two classes.  It has been downhill from there.  We have also learned that over the years the missionaries started to run the program, and from the very beginning the instruction was to trust the Young Adults to make those decisions. 

It was a sense we had that this was how it was happening.  While in the MTC it had been stressed to us that we are here only to serve, not to lead.  One of the first Sundays, Elder Storrer told Bishop Schubert we were here as servants and would do what he asked us to do.  Only problem, our first obligation is to the JAE and it falls under the direction of the Stake Presidency.  So B Schubert being a very new bishop when we arrived and learning his job, made a choice which was not his to make.  The JAE had gone to him and told him that they no longer wanted to attend Family Home Evening.  So he made the decision to have us hold it with older members.  We have Bruder Ebner and his wife, converts of 3 years, Marylin a year convert, and Josef a convert of about 20 years, and Gabrille, B. Ebner’s exwife and convert of about 3 years.,  We have faithfully followed that instruction.  However, it has been nagging us that we are really here for the JAE and there are those who do not live at home and do not meet with any family.  While eating at the Fegg’s home, their daughter Doris was there.  It was a wonderful spirit, even though I speak little German we had communication in which I could understand and return some conversation.  I have been told that they have a lot of respect for me, because I do try.

Norm left a spiritual thought about how loving one another, and praying for the desire to show that love to our neighbor will forward the missionary work, and will help this ward to grow..  Doris felt that love and asked if we were going to ever have family home evening again.  She is at the police academy, not living at home and has such a desire to have that spirituality in her life.  Because of her schedule she cannot make it out to institute too often.  We had been talking about it and E. Storrer told her that we had plans for it at our new Wohnung that was within walking distance of the Bahnhof.  She was really excited.

When Norm told Bishop Schubert that we needed to be holding it, and made a second mistake of asking for his permission, B Schubert called Pres. Miles.  President Miles set a lot of things straight.  He told him that we would work under him with less actives, but our first calling was the JAE.  If we were not going to be used in that capacity then Pres. Miles would put us in a area where we were badly needed.  And as we serve in the JAE, it was the stake that determined and made the decisions if we are to have Family Home Evening or not.  We actually are to answer directily the Karl Sikora the High Councilor, over JAE.  I did know that, but Elder Storrer, being the one who speaks German did not seem to make that connection, until our interview last week with President Miles.

That was also a very interesting experience.  We would learn through all of this that the former people here, though good good people were following the tradition of being the leaders rather than “shadow leaders,”   The couple who organized it did it right, as we found their records, and as all the manuals we found stressed that importance, and the YSA wanted to be running their own program.  Consequently it has retreated to 8 average students who attend, though there are well over 65 young adults on the roles.  Some of those are married, however they can still attend institute if they are under the age of 30.  We saw the records where their were activities several days of the week, including an active FHE.  Intererstingly I had a dream about this right after we got here.  We were keeping to busy as Elder Storrer wanted to be prosyliting and finding like the young missionaries.  I told him my dream, but even though he knew it was right, he has struggled between his desires and the JAE calling.  This week we had to go to Munchen to the District Leader meeting.    It really divides him.  He needs the information taught there to help the missionaries in our district, but it gives him the desire to spend hours finding on the street, that we need to work the programs for JAE, and to keep working with the less actives in the ward.

We have to pray constantly to Heavenly Father to help us love these people, and help them not only love each other, which they do, but extend that love to their neighbor.  We also have to constantly pray for guidance to help our JAE, grow and become the tool for missionary work, as the brethren saw it.  We have even gotten a bit of resistance from Achim Erlacher, our stake pres second councilor and the Institute and Seminary advisor, and former instructor for our institute that bringing friends to institute is not part of the program.  Yet the materials specifically spell it out.  So it is really converting the members to their role as given in D & C to be missionaries.  But with love we are seeing good things moving in our ward.  These people really are a great people, and with prayerful help, I believe they will do it. 

Going to see Schwester Elfrieda Thibaut, we would go through Austria (Oestereich) cross the Salzach River and be in Burghausen.  The castle was built around the bend of the river to protect the Salt shipments from the Salzburg salt mines.  It was the gold of the area.  As one crossed the river there is a tree stuck right in the center of the bridge. It is the Grenze (or border) marker between the countries of Oestereich and Deutschland.  The best pictures of the castle are on the Austrian side of the river, as when you drive around it, it is literally on top of you. 

South end of castle

End turret.  You can drive around this end.

The Castle covers the whole hill

Icon at end of church you can see in the picture.  This was a walled city.  The first pictures are from the town square.

This was another church.  All are Catholic.

Somewhere I have a statue of a boy riding a bike, so it had to be withing the last 100 years or so.
These were taken in the town square, from a little restaurant across the way.  Since I am having problems loading pictures.  I guess I will add a little to the blog before I sign off today.

Part of the success of the JAE is when they meet and marry.  So we have two girls in our JAE engaged, and a possible third.  The first two are Austrians, Rahel who is marrying the young man who baptized her four years ago.  I guess they met in the temple when she took her endowments out.  The second is Mariam, an newly returned missionary.  One of the missionaries from Cologne, Germany asked if she would write his mother.  So she did.  When he went home 6 months ago he started to write her.  By time she came home, and she really wasn't happy to be ending her mission, there were thoughts exchanged that meant it was now time to get serious.  We met the young man today, with a very smiling and happy Mariam holding his hand.  He seemed just as content.  They were engaged last Thursday.  She told us before hand that she was hoping for an August wedding.  And then there is Geegi, our darling Mongolian convert of about 3 years.  She came to Austria to go to school and has stayed.