Opportunities

We started a Book of Mormon Reading Group with a member who was baptized about a year ago. Some weeks ago we had been talking with him about reading the entire Book of Mormon. We discussed several ways to do it, and decided to start at the beginning and read a chapter a day.  We decided to use Messenger and create a group; him, Sister van Hoff, and me. (He has a friend who had introduced him to the Church who might join us.)  Anyway, we all read the same chapter and each of us comment on something that stands out to us or that we learn from that chapter.

It has been great. We have all come up with comments and thoughts that we probably wouldn't have noticed or recognized before. For me, reading with the understanding that I need to find something in the chapter has opened a new way of understanding.

The 12th of June was an emotional rollercoaster ride. Early that morning, we went to the international school to have our very last seminary class. Most of the students had taken the assessment test, but we still had three more who hadn't. They were nearly finished with their tests when another student walked into the room. She hadn't yet had the opportunity to go over the assessment after it was graded. Her being there was not a surprise, but was welcome. You see, it was emotionally painful for us to realize that our seminary classes and the personal time we had with these kids was coming to an end.

The kids finished their tests and another student who didn't need to be there any longer walked in. It appeared that she came to get some of the students who had finished up and they left the room.  Sister van Hoff and I said our goodbyes as they left, but they didn't seem to hear us.

Five minutes later, they all came back into the room and handed us roses and an envelope. In the envelope was a handmade card. Every student had written little something in it. It was so hard to hold back the tears. They have been our children for a short season. All eight of them. They will be etched on our hearts.

The roses we received.

Our feeling of being free from that extra responsibility was short -lived. That same afternoon we went to our appointment with Elder Sabin, 1st Counselor to the Europe Area Presidency. He was very short and brief because he didn't have much time. He was in the middle of an important meeting and had left it to talk to us. He asked us to be the new Zone Leaders. I'm sure we must have been a funny sight to him when both of our jaws dropped.

I was completely speechless, but Sister van Hoff immediately spoke and told him we are not accustomed to turning down assignments, so we accepted.

This new assignment will drastically change the rest of our mission. There are, right now, 22 senior missionary couples in our zone. Our responsibilities have nearly doubled. We will be responsible for new missionaries coming in; other missionaries going home; assigning the vehicles they are using; apartment issues; any traffic violation, passport, or travel issues; and the list goes on. Since most of the couples are here for 18 months, the turnover is quick. In the year we've been here, 20 couples have either arrived or left. Fortunately, senior missionaries are a unique in that they are self-motivators, hard workers, and carry stronger than normal testimonies. There are many of them who do so much behind the scenes to help out with projects or help each other. Each is so special in their own way.

The Lord has blessed us in calling the Skoubyes as Assistant Zone Leaders. We have been great friends ever since they arrived and I, for one, have looked up to them for their spiritual strength. We had no input in recommending that they be called. Hearing about it was just as much as a surprise as us being asked by Elder Sabin.

The past few days, our department held a seminar in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. What a beautiful city it is. We stayed in a hotel right in the middle of the old walled section of town .

The time there was well spent. Everyone from our IT department was there, except one who was ill. We even had two representatives from Church headquarters. All the presentations were great and led to meaningful discussions. We, ourselves, gave a presentation on listening.

We all came away with great information and learned of upcoming changes regarding technology that the Church will soon implement. I think the highlight of the seminar for me was the spiritual content of the meeting. In one session, Brother Santos, our department manager, asked that everyone take five minutes each and, using a timeline, tell about important moments in our lives. Times that changed our lives and times that influenced our life decisions. Many talked about their conversions, struggles, and important events in their lives. What a powerful spirit was present in that room. Not only did we learn more about each other, but we could feel the power of each others testimonies.

In the mornings and in the evenings the weather was great and we got to see a lot of the city. We were able to walk nearly all the way around the town on the wall. The first evening we had a city tour guided by a "nightwatchman" from the old days.

As you can tell, the Lord continues to bless us with opportunities. Opportunities to learn and grow, opportunities to see the beauty around us, and opportunities to be spiritually fed.

The following link shows you what it is like entering one of the gates into the city.

https://youtu.be/xTfcu4MZOEk

Below are several pictures of Rothenburg, Germany.

A cute, colorful house near the city wall.

Down a side street.

The inner city wall.  There is also an outer city wall.

Walking on the wall.

A city gate.

Part of the city wall.

Fountain near town square

Along the wall (right) looking outside of town (left) and a section of town. (top)