Guten Tag:
Wow, things are cruisin’ these days. Our list of things to do seems to expand with each new day. On Fri. at Zone Conference, President Condie added apartment checks to the list & for us that means 9 in 5 different cities. So with that introduction let me move forward to telling you all what we have done in the last month.
On Nov. 6 & 7 we were in Munich for some Senior Training. Elder Harris & I did a demonstration on how to teach Repentance, Baptism & the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We must have done pretty good because Pres. Condie complimented us several times. He even went so far as to say that we should have been teaching missionaries instead of Outreach. We used PMG as the springboard to each topic & then we practiced together a few times to make sure that we stayed within our allotted time. It was fun to be with the other couple missionaries. We laughed a lot, which is always good for me. We ate good food & we learned much from each other & Pres. & Sis. Condie.
I was in the kitchen with Sisters Young & Zegg learning to do schnitzel on Nov. 8. It was quite the experience & I hope to show our family my expertise very soon. It was just one of the missionary dinners done by Sisters Y & Z. They always make a ton so there is leftovers to take home that are yummy, too.
We received permission to again go to the Frankfurt Temple. Anya Schulz was taking out her endowment. It was so good to be part of the experience. On our way home we stayed over in Würzburg because Elder Harris had a High Council assignment to speak in the ward there & we didn’t want to travel home on Saturday night, Nov. 14 only to return on Sunday morning to fulfill his duty.
On Nov. 17, during Interviews with Pres. Condie, we got the final word on our travel home plans. We will leave Munich on Jan. 13. We go via London & Chicago, arriving late in SLC.
Sat., Nov. 21 was Martin Reise’s baptism. We thought back over all the missionaries that had worked with him & report that he really did look happy. I’ll enclose a picture. You can check it out for yourself.
After the baptism, we headed for the hospital to visit Christina Männchen. She had surgery on her jaw. Today we report that she has made very good progress in her recovery.
We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Dautel’s. It is always fun to visit there. We will miss them a lot. (Nov. 26th.)
Fri. & Sat. was spent in Coburg at a YSA Convention. We were thrilled that 41 attended & had a good time. There was a Fireside by Pres. & Sis. Condie, Volleyball & Overnight at a Youth Hostel on Nov. 27th. & then a Workshop by Mark Schütze & more Volleyball on Nov. 28th. & of course plenty of food, drinks & treats both days.
All of the Nürnberg missionaries were treated to a dinner at Müller’s by three visiting couples, the Stoddarts (recently released as mission president in Santa Rosa, CA but originally from Grand Rapids, MI), the McCombers & the Davies (both from Santa Rosa). It was yummy as usual. (Dec. 1)
On Dec. 4 we had Zone Conference. Sis. Preiss out did herself on the food & decorations --- roast beef, potatoes & gravy, salad, cream cheese pie & lots of German chocolate. The workshops by the Condies, the Assistants, Zone Leaders & District Leaders were very good & the Christmas dvd was refreshing & fun to view. Later in the evening we were treated to a special evening by the Nürnberg Stake Presidency in Erlangen. First was a special testimony meeting where the Spirit was very strong & moved many to tears (including yours truly) & then we traveled to a Chinese Restaurant for a buffet & socializing.
Last on my things to record is the Stake Christmas Fireside last night. Elder Harris & I helped with some last minute fill-ins. I did some of the background music for Bro. Dautel’s slide presentation & then accompanied Sis. Dautel when she sang “Remember the Children” by Janice Kapp Perry. She did a beautiful job. It was very touching. Elder Harris did some scripture reading & narrating.
Well, this month has taken too long to write about. If you are still with me, thank you. I will try for shorter next month but then again there might not be another month. We’ll have to see how the packing goes. Right now I am quite concerned because we came over here with 2 checked baggage pieces each & now regulations tell us that we can only have one each. We hope that we will at least be able to check our other bags because we need the space. We know there will be a fee but it will probably be less than postage from here. Such is the fun of traveling these days.
We send our very best wishes for a Merry Christmas. We will be spending it in Vienna at the Marriott Courtyard & I’m not kidding. Pres. Condie has OKed the travel because our Center here will be closed for the 24th., 25th. & 26th.
We love you all & will see you soon.
Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tues., Nov. 3, 2009
Guten Tag,
It is the beginning of another month & what a month it has been. There has hardly been time to catch our breath before we had to move on to something else. We have had only one “P-day” in the whole month & that was the second Sat., Oct. 10 & we spent most of it in Regensburg, mostly just roaming the cobblestone streets & taking in all the flavor of the city. I’ll include a picture of the big cathedral where we spent most of the rainy day.
Besides the usual responsibilities at the center we managed two dinner appointments which are pretty rare for missionary couples. One was with the Langes on the 11th. & the other was with Uwe & Sarah Schulz on the 18th. We also attended the funeral for Sister Young’s mother in Weißenburg about one hour away. She was very appreciative of our being there because only two other couples from the Ward were there, the Dautels & Preisses (the stalwarts of the Ward).
On Fri., Oct. 16th we drove to Munich for a Transfer Mission Conference with all the Zone Leaders (8), Assistants, 2 lady missionaries & Pres. & Sis. Condie. We spoke to the subject: “What we learned in our first missions that helped us in our later lives.”
On Sat., Oct. 17th we attended two baptisms, one for Enrique Dominguez, the bishop’s son & the other for Max Meisenbach, a convert. These events are always well attended by ward members and of course there is always a special spirit there that witnesses to the truth of the event.
On Fri., Oct. 23rd we had Zone Conference & although the day is long in sitting, the spirit is always uplifting. The highlight for Elder Harris & I was Sis. Condie’s talk on“Pride”.
Sat. & Sun., Oct. 24 & 25 was Stake Conference with a YSA dinner after the Sat. early evening session. It was not as well attended as last year’s one after the Sun. session but the Sun. session of conference was more pleasant for us, if you can follow that.
Fri., Oct. 30 was a Mission Tour in Munich. Elder Milton R. Cumargo of the 3rd. Quorum of Seventy & his wife were the morning presenters. They were very good; had tons of enthusiasm & wonderful, stimulating ideas. The afternoon was taken up by Elder Teixeira of the 1st. Quorum of Seventy & Counselor in the Area Presidency. WOW….WOW….WOW. He really took command of his time & committed everyone to have faith to baptize. We are not here to plant seeds. We are here to reap the harvest. The strength of Europe is in Germany & although convert baptisms have increased 3% over last year, it needs to be more. We need to start acting in faith. This mission is not about us. If we don’t know where we are going we need to be keeping better records. We were challenged to make baptism & confirmation central to our missionary work. Our teaching should increase our investigator’s faith. Don’t be afraid to tell them that you are there to baptize them after they know the truth of your message. I guess you get the excitement of the Conference after reading the above.
We celebrated Halloween at the Ward Fall Festival. There were games, stories & musical numbers. I accompanied Bro. Klepper on his recorder. It went well & I actually enjoyed doing it. It was pretty classical in nature so it required a bit of practicing. I also was prepared to play one of Rollin’s Lyric Moments but didn’t have to. Sorry Rachel for all the hoopla you went to in getting the music to me but not playing turned out to be a surprise.
Well that about does it for another month. Thank you for your comments on the Blog. We still feel pretty connected even though the distance says otherwise. We love you & hope you are experiencing a wealth of wonderful things including good health.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
Elders Lindgrin & Bond with Max Meisenbach
Nurnberg Fall Festival
Nurnberg Fall Festival
Regensburg Catherdral
Regensburg narrow street
It is the beginning of another month & what a month it has been. There has hardly been time to catch our breath before we had to move on to something else. We have had only one “P-day” in the whole month & that was the second Sat., Oct. 10 & we spent most of it in Regensburg, mostly just roaming the cobblestone streets & taking in all the flavor of the city. I’ll include a picture of the big cathedral where we spent most of the rainy day.
Besides the usual responsibilities at the center we managed two dinner appointments which are pretty rare for missionary couples. One was with the Langes on the 11th. & the other was with Uwe & Sarah Schulz on the 18th. We also attended the funeral for Sister Young’s mother in Weißenburg about one hour away. She was very appreciative of our being there because only two other couples from the Ward were there, the Dautels & Preisses (the stalwarts of the Ward).
On Fri., Oct. 16th we drove to Munich for a Transfer Mission Conference with all the Zone Leaders (8), Assistants, 2 lady missionaries & Pres. & Sis. Condie. We spoke to the subject: “What we learned in our first missions that helped us in our later lives.”
On Sat., Oct. 17th we attended two baptisms, one for Enrique Dominguez, the bishop’s son & the other for Max Meisenbach, a convert. These events are always well attended by ward members and of course there is always a special spirit there that witnesses to the truth of the event.
On Fri., Oct. 23rd we had Zone Conference & although the day is long in sitting, the spirit is always uplifting. The highlight for Elder Harris & I was Sis. Condie’s talk on“Pride”.
Sat. & Sun., Oct. 24 & 25 was Stake Conference with a YSA dinner after the Sat. early evening session. It was not as well attended as last year’s one after the Sun. session but the Sun. session of conference was more pleasant for us, if you can follow that.
Fri., Oct. 30 was a Mission Tour in Munich. Elder Milton R. Cumargo of the 3rd. Quorum of Seventy & his wife were the morning presenters. They were very good; had tons of enthusiasm & wonderful, stimulating ideas. The afternoon was taken up by Elder Teixeira of the 1st. Quorum of Seventy & Counselor in the Area Presidency. WOW….WOW….WOW. He really took command of his time & committed everyone to have faith to baptize. We are not here to plant seeds. We are here to reap the harvest. The strength of Europe is in Germany & although convert baptisms have increased 3% over last year, it needs to be more. We need to start acting in faith. This mission is not about us. If we don’t know where we are going we need to be keeping better records. We were challenged to make baptism & confirmation central to our missionary work. Our teaching should increase our investigator’s faith. Don’t be afraid to tell them that you are there to baptize them after they know the truth of your message. I guess you get the excitement of the Conference after reading the above.
We celebrated Halloween at the Ward Fall Festival. There were games, stories & musical numbers. I accompanied Bro. Klepper on his recorder. It went well & I actually enjoyed doing it. It was pretty classical in nature so it required a bit of practicing. I also was prepared to play one of Rollin’s Lyric Moments but didn’t have to. Sorry Rachel for all the hoopla you went to in getting the music to me but not playing turned out to be a surprise.
Well that about does it for another month. Thank you for your comments on the Blog. We still feel pretty connected even though the distance says otherwise. We love you & hope you are experiencing a wealth of wonderful things including good health.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
Elders Lindgrin & Bond with Max Meisenbach 
Nurnberg Fall Festival
Nurnberg Fall Festival
Regensburg Catherdral
Regensburg narrow streetTuesday, October 6, 2009
October 2009
Mon., Oct. 5, 2009
Guten Tag!
Here we are again at the beginning of another month. I will try to be as concise with my writing as I can because I know that some of you are bored out there with all these Harris letters.
The first thing that we want to report is the baptism of Michelle Muse on Sept. 12. It was very special considering that now a grandmother, her daughter, son & 2 grand daughters are now enjoying the gospel together. Michelle beamed all the time including at her confirmation the next day in Fast Mtg.
On Sept. 15 Elder Harris & I gave short thoughts on Patience & Diligence in our District Mtg. It’s most revealing while preparing to speak on certain subjects.
Between Sept. 17 & 23 (actually 18 & 22) we enjoyed the company of Bryan & Alayna. We packed a lot of country seeing & laughing into those 5 days. We were grateful to an understanding Mission President who let us spend this time together. We revisited several places (Würzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Ansbach) but also ventured into the unknown regions of Dachau, Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Castle & Innsbruck. Our pictures will reflect only the new areas. You’re grateful for that, I know.
On Sun., Sept. 20 Elder Harris had to give a High Council message to the Nürnberg Ward & it was good to have family support.
On Sat., Sept. 26 we had the Institute Opening Kick-off. I was priviledged to be able to accompany Christina Männchen who sang “O That I Were An Angel.” I have been trying to get her to learn it for some time. This was that perfect time because the course of study this year is going to be the BofM. She has an amazing voice for a 19 year old & I mean amazing!
President Condie told us during our interviews on Thurs., Oct. 1 that our release date will be Jan. 7, 2010. Can you believe it? We have been here for 15 months. It has been such a rewarding time for us. We have learned to love the people here so very much. It will be hard to leave them. But at the same time, we are looking forward to becoming acquainted with one new grandson & reacquainted with 9 other grandchildren & also hugging lots of other family & friends. So, be prepared Bryce & Michael. Don’t try hiding because Gpa & I have gotten real good at locating people who don’t want to be located.
Love to all, Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
Dachau
Dachau Crematorium
Innsbruck Cathedral
Linderhof Palace
Muse Family
Neuschwanstein Castle
Nunberg Street left untouched by World War II
Nymphenburg Palace
The Alps new Innsbruck
The Golden Porch in Innsbruck
View from Neuschwanstein Castle
View of Hohenschwangua Castle from Neuschwanstein
Guten Tag!
Here we are again at the beginning of another month. I will try to be as concise with my writing as I can because I know that some of you are bored out there with all these Harris letters.
The first thing that we want to report is the baptism of Michelle Muse on Sept. 12. It was very special considering that now a grandmother, her daughter, son & 2 grand daughters are now enjoying the gospel together. Michelle beamed all the time including at her confirmation the next day in Fast Mtg.
On Sept. 15 Elder Harris & I gave short thoughts on Patience & Diligence in our District Mtg. It’s most revealing while preparing to speak on certain subjects.
Between Sept. 17 & 23 (actually 18 & 22) we enjoyed the company of Bryan & Alayna. We packed a lot of country seeing & laughing into those 5 days. We were grateful to an understanding Mission President who let us spend this time together. We revisited several places (Würzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Ansbach) but also ventured into the unknown regions of Dachau, Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Castle & Innsbruck. Our pictures will reflect only the new areas. You’re grateful for that, I know.
On Sun., Sept. 20 Elder Harris had to give a High Council message to the Nürnberg Ward & it was good to have family support.
On Sat., Sept. 26 we had the Institute Opening Kick-off. I was priviledged to be able to accompany Christina Männchen who sang “O That I Were An Angel.” I have been trying to get her to learn it for some time. This was that perfect time because the course of study this year is going to be the BofM. She has an amazing voice for a 19 year old & I mean amazing!
President Condie told us during our interviews on Thurs., Oct. 1 that our release date will be Jan. 7, 2010. Can you believe it? We have been here for 15 months. It has been such a rewarding time for us. We have learned to love the people here so very much. It will be hard to leave them. But at the same time, we are looking forward to becoming acquainted with one new grandson & reacquainted with 9 other grandchildren & also hugging lots of other family & friends. So, be prepared Bryce & Michael. Don’t try hiding because Gpa & I have gotten real good at locating people who don’t want to be located.
Love to all, Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
Dachau 
Dachau Crematorium
Innsbruck Cathedral
Linderhof Palace
Muse Family
Neuschwanstein Castle
Nunberg Street left untouched by World War II
Nymphenburg Palace
The Alps new Innsbruck
The Golden Porch in Innsbruck
View from Neuschwanstein Castle
View of Hohenschwangua Castle from NeuschwansteinSunday, September 6, 2009
Fri., Sept. 4, 2009
Guten Tag, Family & Friends,
I can’t believe that we are again at the first of another month. Things just keep purring along here in Germany. We have spent most of our P-days revisiting areas that we have been to before & our pictures will reflect that but we never cease to be amazed at our beautiful surroundings & what a blessing it has been in our lives to have been able to visit such picturesque places full of tons of history. It has truly been a dream come true for me & I am trying to soak up as much as I can.
Sat., Aug. 8 we returned to Bayreuth & visited the Liszt & Wagner Museums & other famous sites.
Sat., Aug. 15 we went back to Bamberg in hopes that we would be able to identify the Bamberg picture that we took last month & we were successful plus we found tons of other things to visit in the old city.
Sat., Aug. 22 after the Ward BBQ we took a fast trip to Ansbach which produced a desire to return the next Sat. for an organ recital because of all the advertisements than were posted around the town.
Sat., Aug. 29 we made our way back to Ansbach for the organ recital which was awesome. Then we wandered around the countryside hunting old castles & palaces finally ending up in Rothenburg ob der Tauber where we checked out several shops laden with all kinds of wares. It was quite the experience.
We continue to hold FHE every Mon. evening with our newly marrieds & Tues. evenings we try to visit inactive YSA’s. This month we visited Johannis Liewald & Melanie Körmer in their apartments & were able to leave with a prayer. We hope this Outreach effort will eventually return some to activity. Attendance at Summer Institute has been at the short end but we have seen a couple of less actives come & participate, Johanna Hunger & Joshua Grasser. Our weekly Thurs. English class seems to be yielding some good things. Our little Russian gentleman, Valerie, that we thought was a non member turns out to be a member who is now starting to come out every Sunday. We have hopes that he will eventually invite his family to join him. I am still giving Michelle Muse weekly piano lessons on Fridays. She is finally going to be baptized on Sat., Sept. 12. Elder Harris entertains her & her sister, Sydney at the pool table after her lesson. He has won them over with his teasing. They like him a lot.
We said our Good-byes to Richy Dautel on Aug. 25. He has been the YSA President since May. He is going to London to study. His family gave him a send off BBQ with all kinds of wonderful food. We were pleased to be invited. We love the Dautels. Their examples of service are unbelievable. They are a stronghold here in the Nürnberg Ward.
Gary had his turn at speaking on Sun., Aug. 16. His topic was Adversity. He did a good job even though he sweat bullits. He will also be speaking in the Schweinfurt Branch this month & next. Lucky him!
Well, I’ve about reached the end. Hang with me for one more minute. On Sun., Aug. 30 we were invited to Bro. Männchen’s birthday celebration in Erlangen. They have become some of our best friends here. We will have a hard time leaving them in January. They have been by our side in this Outreach Center from the very beginning. They are very caring & generous servants of the Savior & they have certainly served us many times over as well as the YSA’s.
And while we are on the subject of leaving, we have to enter into the record that we lost one of our favorite Sister Missionaries, Sis. Ray from Arizona, on the Wednesday transfer. After being here for 4 transfers (6 mos.), she went to Munich. Her upbeat personality certainly blessed our lives as well as the people of Nürnberg. It was a pleasure to see her so totally involved in the missionary work here. These young elders & sisters are amazing.
Our final note is about the upcoming visit of our daughter, Alayna & her husband, Bryan. We are soooooo excited. They will be getting here on Sept. 17 for a week’s visit. We will be counting down the days, you can be sure. We appreciate having a Mission President who approves of these visits for the senior missionaries here. So hurry home to Germany, Don’t stop until you get here!!!
Love & good wishes to all,
Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
I can’t believe that we are again at the first of another month. Things just keep purring along here in Germany. We have spent most of our P-days revisiting areas that we have been to before & our pictures will reflect that but we never cease to be amazed at our beautiful surroundings & what a blessing it has been in our lives to have been able to visit such picturesque places full of tons of history. It has truly been a dream come true for me & I am trying to soak up as much as I can.
Sat., Aug. 8 we returned to Bayreuth & visited the Liszt & Wagner Museums & other famous sites.
Sat., Aug. 15 we went back to Bamberg in hopes that we would be able to identify the Bamberg picture that we took last month & we were successful plus we found tons of other things to visit in the old city.
Sat., Aug. 22 after the Ward BBQ we took a fast trip to Ansbach which produced a desire to return the next Sat. for an organ recital because of all the advertisements than were posted around the town.
Sat., Aug. 29 we made our way back to Ansbach for the organ recital which was awesome. Then we wandered around the countryside hunting old castles & palaces finally ending up in Rothenburg ob der Tauber where we checked out several shops laden with all kinds of wares. It was quite the experience.
We continue to hold FHE every Mon. evening with our newly marrieds & Tues. evenings we try to visit inactive YSA’s. This month we visited Johannis Liewald & Melanie Körmer in their apartments & were able to leave with a prayer. We hope this Outreach effort will eventually return some to activity. Attendance at Summer Institute has been at the short end but we have seen a couple of less actives come & participate, Johanna Hunger & Joshua Grasser. Our weekly Thurs. English class seems to be yielding some good things. Our little Russian gentleman, Valerie, that we thought was a non member turns out to be a member who is now starting to come out every Sunday. We have hopes that he will eventually invite his family to join him. I am still giving Michelle Muse weekly piano lessons on Fridays. She is finally going to be baptized on Sat., Sept. 12. Elder Harris entertains her & her sister, Sydney at the pool table after her lesson. He has won them over with his teasing. They like him a lot.
We said our Good-byes to Richy Dautel on Aug. 25. He has been the YSA President since May. He is going to London to study. His family gave him a send off BBQ with all kinds of wonderful food. We were pleased to be invited. We love the Dautels. Their examples of service are unbelievable. They are a stronghold here in the Nürnberg Ward.
Gary had his turn at speaking on Sun., Aug. 16. His topic was Adversity. He did a good job even though he sweat bullits. He will also be speaking in the Schweinfurt Branch this month & next. Lucky him!
Well, I’ve about reached the end. Hang with me for one more minute. On Sun., Aug. 30 we were invited to Bro. Männchen’s birthday celebration in Erlangen. They have become some of our best friends here. We will have a hard time leaving them in January. They have been by our side in this Outreach Center from the very beginning. They are very caring & generous servants of the Savior & they have certainly served us many times over as well as the YSA’s.
And while we are on the subject of leaving, we have to enter into the record that we lost one of our favorite Sister Missionaries, Sis. Ray from Arizona, on the Wednesday transfer. After being here for 4 transfers (6 mos.), she went to Munich. Her upbeat personality certainly blessed our lives as well as the people of Nürnberg. It was a pleasure to see her so totally involved in the missionary work here. These young elders & sisters are amazing.
Our final note is about the upcoming visit of our daughter, Alayna & her husband, Bryan. We are soooooo excited. They will be getting here on Sept. 17 for a week’s visit. We will be counting down the days, you can be sure. We appreciate having a Mission President who approves of these visits for the senior missionaries here. So hurry home to Germany, Don’t stop until you get here!!!
Love & good wishes to all,
Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
September 2009
Wagner's & Cosimo's Grave
Wagner Museum
Village outside of Ansbach
Sister Ray from Arizona
Seehoff Palace outside Bamberg
Organ pipes in St. Peter & St. George Cathedral
Michelsberg Monatery in Bamberg
Marko Schultz
Liszt Museum
Liszt Museum
Juan Dominguez
Brother Mannchen's B-day Dinner
Cathedral's Mahlhausen Altar - 15th Century
English Class Students
Flower boxes on Old Court- 1007
Gate to Ansbach
Brother Defalco
Bayreuth Ermitage
Bayreuth Ermitage
Bayreuth Ermitage
Anbach
Ansbach
Ansbach deco
Ansbach deco
Ansbach deco
Branch President & Sister Dominguez
Bamberg New Palace Rose Garden
Bamberg New Palace Rose Garden
37th Anniversary at Mullers
7 Point Buck
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
