Day In and Day Out

Earlier this week we read the blog of our good friends, Elder and Sister Skoubye. What they had written up is something we haven't done yet. They described what their assignments were and what they do each day and each week. Though we've written a little here and a little there of what we do, we thought it would be nice to consolidate it.

We work in the IT department, but our only real responsibility is being a support and assistance to the Stake and District Technology Specialists for Europe. This means that we need to know about all the technology used by the stakes and members. This includes everything from setting up, transmitting, and receiving webcasts to maintaining firewalls, from being familiar with the Church's mobile apps to helping to solving technical issues. Unofficially, we help the other senior missionaries and the Church employees that come to us with computer or software problems.

Not every day is exactly the same, but typically we get up at 05:00 hours and take a walk. Unless it is extremely bad outside, we still go. We don't have a lot of time before we are out the door to travel to the European school to teach seminary to 8 wonderful kids.

Our work in the Europe Area Office is like any weekday job, Monday through Friday; however, every Monday morning there is a devotional for all office personnel. It's held in the Church's chapel, which is next door to our office building. What a wonderful spiritual way to start the work week.

Other things occur during the week to break up the office work. On Wednesdays all the senior missionaries meet at the church and have an hour long Book of Mormon class. This is another spiritually enlightening period. With many seasoned couples who have a vast knowledge of the scriptures and the doctrine, the discussion is exciting.

Peppered into the weeks are things like family home evening planned by one of the senior couples on a rotating basis and getting together for lunch to honor those couples who are returning home having finished they missionary service. Sometimes we will have someone taught in our tiny apartment or go with the younger missionaries to an appointment.

Most evenings are busy with some meeting or activity. Obviously, there is Family Home Evening every Monday. Tuesday night is our German Culture class with Sister Enger, native German.  Wednesday evening is a combined Seminary class - both our students and the students from the Frankfurt International School - of about 20 students. Twice a month on Thursdays we invite two companionships of junior missionaries (elders on one night and sisters on the other.)  Last Thursday we had the sisters. On Sunday before church we go to Missionary Coordination meeting.

Most of the rest of our time is spent preparing our lessons for Seminary and doing all those things necessary to keep going - shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning. We try to get out and see a part of our area around us a couple of times a month and we try to get to a temple once every couple of months. The temples we can travel to are Freiberg, Germany; Bern, Switzerland; the Hague, Netherlands; and Paris, France. Maybe before we leave the Frankfurt temple will be reopened!

We have learned so much since we have been here and we've gotten to know some very special people, members and non-members alike. The Lord has blessed us in so many different ways and we have seen blessings come to our family members, also.  Most of all, it has been a blessing to strengthen our relationship with each other and with our Savior.  How wonderful that truly is.