Monday, August 1, 2016

July 2016

At the beginning of July we got to visit the Wien 5 Ward with Elders Carter & Seewer. 
Also in this ward is President Kohler's counselor President Höferl.  It was nice to see him!
On the same Sunday we went over to another building in Wien and saw our Zone Leaders--Elders Hale & Lyman.
We went to church in the Wien 4 International Ward in the afternoon with Elders Threlkeld & LaPlant.
And we also saw Sisters Price and Lundgreen there with an investigator.
That evening the entire Wien Zone got to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert in a beautiful concert hall.  The music was spectacular!
Then it was back to Munich for the transfer.  Erika's friend Bridget joined us from Provo for three weeks.  She got to see firsthand what a transfer includes.
Loading the luggage into the office van.
Here is a wonderful new group of Goldens!
And off they go to ride the bahn back to the mission office--and to do their first contacting!
That evening we enjoyed dinner together at the Mission Home--then they found out where they would be serving.
In the morning, at the hostel, they were already talking to people about the Gospel!
After some final training with President Kohler we walked them to the bahnhof to go to their new areas and trainers.
Some of our wonderful Sisters!  Did I mention that our daughter Tosha is with us for 2 months?
Our angels--Sisters Fischer Laudenbach and Gildner prepared a delicious farewell dinner.
It was great to eat and visit with our going home group.
A group picture after our testimony meeting.
The next morning, at the airport, everybody was excited and nervous.
Goodbye Elder Threlkeld...
and Elder Redmond.  We will miss you both.
After the transfer, President Kohler began the next round of interviews.  He started in Munich.  Here is the Landshut District.
On that Sunday we visited the ward in Esslingen--it was great to be greeted at the door by Elders Adam and Hudson!
And it was always fun to get visits from our former missionaries--like Sister Mehr and her family!
On this day, President Kohler interviewed and trained in the Wien Zone.
And on this day it was the Salzburg Zone.
Back in Munich Elders Staheli & Maw kept things running in the office.
On this day President was interviewing and training in the St. Gallen Zone.
And in Munich we had more former missionaries come to visit--Sister Motto...
Elder Bellersen...
Sister Zink.
At the end of the month we were in Switzerland at the Temple.  We got to see our Aarau District.
It was a nice time for our family to be able to be in the temple together :)
That evening President Kohler spoke at a Swiss Mission Reunion and we ran into four of our wonderful Elders serving in the area--Elders Lucas, Ashcroft, Elwell and Kilgore.
The next day we attended church in the Zollikofen ward.
And just to keep you updated, Tanner is thriving in Moldova!







Tuesday, July 5, 2016

June 2016


June 1st was the second day of our transfer.  We had received our wonderful new group of Goldens and were ready to send them to their new areas and trainers!
That afternoon we welcomed our going home group to the Rückertstrasse Building for interviews, and checkout procedures.  Then we had a lovely farewell dinner and testimony meeting.
These great sisters served us so lovingly--Sisters Gildner and Fischer-Laudenbach prepared and served the dinner and Sisters Selph and Pugh helped with the cleanup afterwards.
Our departing missionaries..
I guess it was time for them to go!
The next morning we got them off at the airport--farewell!
What a wonderful treat it was to have President & Sister Miles visit the mission!   We were so happy to spend an evening with them.  We love them!
And what a wonderful day when we welcomed our daughter Tosha back to the Mission!  She came to spend 2 months with us over her summer break from BYU.
June was a month of visitors--it was great to see multiple former missionaries and their families back in the mission.  Sister Pratt!
MLC time came again..President Kohler quizzed them on their scripture mastery!
Our June Mission Leadership Council
More visitors:  Sister Harman and Elder Jones...
Elder Packer
We enjoyed going to church in Ulm--a great ward!
and great missionaries--Elders Stahle and Melville.
One of our weekly Staff Meetings at the Office.
Then it was time for zone conferences again!
We learned all about the House of Israel and our roles as members of that family.
Tosha shared some things she had learned on her mission.
Bern, St Gallen, and half of Zürich Zones.
Lunch Time was always a favorite!
The Despains were preparing to leave the mission for a new assignment in the Freiberg Temple--we will miss them!
The next day we headed to Stuttgart for another wonderful conference.
The Stuttgart & half of Zürich Zones.

On our third day we were in Munich--we always appreciate the wonderful women who prepare our lunches for these conferences.
More House of Israel.
The München Zone

Our München Sisters all looked so beautiful in their dirndls!
This is our Wien Zone as they traveled to our final zone conference.

The Salzburg & Wien Zones
Another delicious lunch...
prepared by more of our fabulous Relief Society Sisters.
The next day was our quarterly Coordinating Council Meeting here at the Mission Home.
It was also Father's Day--how wonderful to have our two daughters with their Dad!

The next Sunday we attended church in Interlaken with Elders Guzzwell & Bates.
Then we drove to Bad Säckingen and met with Elders McDaniel and Cousins and one of their wonderful recent converts :)
From there we drove to Frauenfeld and saw Elders Hunter and Mikulenka.
Back in Munich, Tosha got to go teach with Sisters von Hacht & Fast.  We have so many great missionaries in this mission--another full month!