Harris Missionaries: May 2009

Guten Tag from Germany,

Well, it’s that time again for us to get in touch & bring you up to date as to our activities here in Germany. We hope that this is not too boring for you & we hope that you are all doing well & enjoying Spring weather, colors & smells.

On Apr. 11 we enjoyed the ward Easter activity. The missionaries were invited to sing the hardest Easter Hymn ever (#197, O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown) so I decided I better lend my support which meant that I needed to learn the German version. Good thing that I knew the soprano line so that I could concentrate on the German words. It turned out better than I thought possible with only two short practices. You’ve got to appreciate the help you receive from above because I was really fearful of the outcome going in. (see photos)

In the evening, we joined the Pres. & Sis. Condie at the Dautels for a delicious & plentiful BBQ. We do love the Condies & the Dautels. They are wonderful friends & we feel fortunate to be able to associate with them. (see photos)

On Easter Sunday, Apr. 12 besides attending church we also attended the baptism of Nicole & Sydney Muse & Rene´ Weinholdt. Nicole & Rene´are brother & sister & Sydney is Nicole’s mother. Nicole’s other daughter, Michelle wants to wait a while longer before she is baptized. She is 13. She comes to the center for piano lessons every week & is a darling girl. Elder Harris & I are quietly trying to influence her toward the water. (see photos)

On Easter Monday, Apr. 13, another German holiday, we went around to several Easter Egg Fountains with Sis. Kunuth. They were spectacular. One had more than 2,000 blown out hand painted eggs. (see photos)

On Tues., Apr. 14, after District Mtg., Elder Harris & I took a drive between Igenfdorf & Forcheim to see the many cherry blossoms. It was pretty unbelievable & picturesque. It was a lunch hour well spent. (see photos)

On Sat., Apr. 18, Elder Harris was involved with a Mormon Helping Hands Project that took most of the day. It was well attended & so they got a lot accomplished for the community. (check out the photos)

We took a leisurely drive to Eichstätt & on to Neuburg in the afternoon of the 19th. We are so taken in by the beauty of the German villages & the history of the area. It is truly a blessing to be here surrounded by the culture & people. It is amazing to see & be a part of it all. (photos)

After getting permission from Elder Kopischke of the Seventy, we were also privileged to travel on Apr. 25 to the Frankfurt Temple & attend an endowment session with Rike Dautel, who is leaving for Utah on the 10th. of May to attend school at Weber State University. We will miss her a ton. She has been serving as the YSA President in the Nürnberg Stake. Her brother Richie will take over now & we are grateful for his willingness to add this to his plate of service for the next four months before he takes off for London to attend University. (He is also serving as the Elders Quorum Pres. In the ward.) What we will do after Richie leaves is a big question!!! (photos)

On our way back from Frankfurt we stopped in Aschaffenburg & caught a quick glimpse of the Johannisburg Palace & Villa. (I’ll add some photos.)

We also took a country route to Wertheim so that we could see some old castle ruins that Bro. Dautel told us about. (I’ll also some photos.)

May 1st. is another holiday here, May Day. All the stores are closed. We were able to support the Stake Festivities. (Check out the buffet photo. It’s like Chuck-a Rama.)

Now, lest people think that we are slackers, please verify that most of our goings have been on our P-day, which is Saturday. We continue to do our regular FHE & Institute classes & meals plus the shopping that goes along with, for the groceries. We also fill out tons of reports. We do VT & HT & make phone calls to encourage YSA’s to come to the Center.

Last but not least, I want to tell you about the baptisms of Manuela Grabow & Steven Stevens last Sat., May 2. It was pretty special for us even though we did none of the teaching. Sis. Grabow is from the Nürnberg Ward & Bro. Stevens is from the Ansbach Ward. They are both quite shy but after the baptisms they were asked to stand before the group assembled & bear their testimonies. Usually I would not be able to understand because the spoken word would be German but Ansbach is an almost all American Military Ward so there was translation. What a sweet spirit prevailed as they each spoke of their love for the true church, the BofM & the Savior. I was moved to tears at their humility & simple love for their Heavenly Father. The Church is true!!! It is simply wonderful to be a part of the missionary effort & have God’s love for all His children reaffirmed to us. (see photos)

May the Lord bless & keep you safe, healthy & totally involved in His work.

Love, Elder & Sister Harris, Gary & Renee, Dad & Mom, Gpa & Gma
xoxoxoxoxo