DECEMBER 1 - 31, 2017 FREIBERG, GERMANY

BESIDE OUR APARTMENT DOOR

     December has been a busy and eventful month.  We have experienced what a German Christmas feels like.     We began by decorating our Christmas Tree and our shelving unit outside our Apartment door.  We bought a small 1 1/2 foot artificial Christmas Tree at "KIK, a store nearby.

OUR CHRISTMAS TREE

  Jennifer sent us some ornament pictures of her children, and we hung up ornaments purchased in Paris, Delft and Heidelberg.  As the days went by, we gradually were given other ornaments to add to our tree.  By Christmas time it was quite covered with decorations, and added a festive atmosphere to our home.
   

     Outside on the Temple/Gemiende grounds, a manger scene had been set up, and two large pine trees were decorated with lights.  Snow fell a couple of times, and lasted for a day or two, but then melted away.

MANGER SCENE AT TEMPLE

For the most part, the rest of the month we received rain instead of snow.  I think snow adds a more Christmas -like atmosphere to the season.

   
         German Christmas Markets are set up in the town square the last weekend of November, and remain open each day until December 22nd.   Freiberg had a lovely Christmas Market with many booths set up selling things you could buy as Christmas presents.  They sold Christmas decorations, and many, many booths sold all kinds of foods such as bratwurst, stollen,  doughnuts, drinks, etc.  It  opens at 10 AM and closes at 10 PM.

ME WITH FATHER CHRISTMAS

Christmas music is broadcast, and in the evening special music groups perform.  I enjoyed posing with St. Nicholas on our second visit to the Christmas Markt.

FREIBERG CHRISTMAS MARKET AT NIGHT

  German people celebrate Advent.  First Advent is held the first weekend of December.

FIRST ADVENT WITH FREIBERG WARD/BRANCH CHOIR

Accordingly, December 3rd, the Freiberg Ward and Branch choirs presented a concert.  The choir had been practicing since October for this concert, and the chosen music was beautiful.  About 30 people sang in the choir, directed by our Branch President, Dario Dzierzon, and accompanied by Ilona Harzt on the piano.  Earlier in the week I went on splits with the Sister Missionaries to some dorms at the University of Freiberg to invite students to the concert.  Surprisingly, a few of them did come.  The chapel was filled with members of the church and people from the town.



    Bernd Kleinert, a retired medical doctor who works in the temple with us, invited  us to go with him to a special Christmas display be held in the largest furniture store in Germany, called Mobel Mahler

A PARTIAL GLIMPSE AT THE DOLL DISPLAY

.  We had no idea what to expect, but it was a beautiful display of all the dolls, dollhouses, and doll furniture that any little girl could want.   Different dolls used by children throughout the years were on display, all dressed in typical German clothing.
     As we walked along further, we saw trucks,trains, constructions equipment, forts and castles on display which would be every little boy's dream to play with.  There were so many train sets all set up going through cities and villages and farms, that I couldn't count them all.  We saw a house on fire with smoke coming out of the place, and fire engines with sirens flashing all around.  It was amazing.

A MINIATURE CITY SURROUNDED BY THE RAILROAD

     There were several areas for children to actually play in; a skating area, a sand box, a lego play area, and the kids could even touch buttons and activate the train sets.  We enjoyed our visit very much.
     After leaving the Christmas displays, we drove around several towns and villages enjoying the Christmas Schwebboggens and other decorations shining in the windows and in the yards.  It was a four hour experience with the Christmas displays and the tour of the lights.  Bruder Kleinert was very kind to take his time to show us around.


     2nd Advent was held the second weekend of December.  The Temple Presidency and some of the other native German workers, decided to cook and serve a schnitzel dinner to all of the missionaries and other temple workers serving from Germany and Austria, who were being released.
     Kent and Marlis Freeman had completed their 12 month mission, and were returning home to Aurora, Utah.

TEMPLE MATRON AND ASSISTANT HAMMING IT UP

  Detlef and Sonja Glomb finished a seven month service in the temple and were returning to their home in Bielefeld, Germany.  Sister Erlacher, the temple presidents wife,  is a real ham.  She can be serious, but she has a great sense of humor, and is fun to be around.  She was in charge in the kitchen.  We had a lovely meal(the Germans really love potato salad)and we had three different kinds of potato salad.  Potato salad is not my favorite, but I did try one that did not have eggs in, and survived.
     Following dinner we went to the missionary room and watched a church movie entitled "The Letter Writer."  It had a beautiful, uplifting theme to it, and we all enjoyed watching it.  It was in German, with English subtitles.


     Since the Freeman's were leaving, we missionaries decided to take them out to their favorite restaurant to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary the night before they left.  We went to the "Schwanschloss."  When we went upstairs to our tables, we saw that President and Sister Fingerlie, of the Berlin, Germany mission were up their, also, with about 12 Elder and Sister Missionaries who were being released from their missions to return home.

THE FINGERLIE'S & MISSIONARIES

  The two groups of us shared the whole upper floor of the restaurant.  The missionaries held a quiet testimony meeting, and Sister Fingerlie sang us a Bavarian Christmas song.  It was pretty sweet.  We didn't hear their testimonies, but we did enjoy the Christmas song.  It was great to be in the restaurant with them.  As they left the restaurant, the Fingerlies asked the waitress to take a special drink to the Freeman's from them (the Fingerlie's) in celebration of the Freeman's anniversary. 

     December 16th, the Freiberg Ward and Branch presented a Christmas play at the chapel, entitled "The Golden Goose."  I think that traditionally they do a play every Christmas.  Last year it was "Cinderella."  The play is presented for two days, and many elementary school children come to the play with their school group as a field trip.  I was told that 200 school kids were coming to see the play.  Bill and I attended, and I got the gist of the story, even though I couldn't understand the language. 

CAST OF THE "GOLDEN GOOSE"

I recognized some of the actors and actresses as being from our Branch, but all of them were members of the Church.  At the end of  the last performance, all the Primary age children were presented with a Christmas gift from the ward or branch.  It was the Ward/Branch Christmas Party that last night.  Delicious food was served following the play, and it was very well attended.


     3rd Advent was held December 17th, with a Christmas Concert being held at the Mittweide Ward Building, in Mittweide, Germany.  Brother Kleinert, from our Branch was the conductor of the choir, and he really wanted us all to attend.

ADVENT CONCERT AT MITTWEIDE

We made a 45 minute drive to Mittweide, with several other missionary couples, and were delighted to see that several of our temple workers from that area were in the choir.  The chapel was full for this concert, too.  The people really do support each other, and are willing to give many hours of practice time preparing for these special Christmas traditions. We were happy that we had come to support Bruder Kleinert.


     Sunday evening, which was  Christmas Eve this year, is the night when the German people open their presents. I was surprised to learn this.  We missionries held a lovely finger food dinner together in the missionary room.

OUR CHRISTMAS EVE SPREAD

  Bill and I brought raked bar b que roast beef sandwiches and stuffed mushrooms.  After eating, we watched the movie "Silent Night."   It is the story about how the song "Silent Night." was written.  It left us all with a great spirit.  Bill did his traditional poem reading of "The Night Before Christmas," and we all shared a Christmas tradition from our homes.  We did not open any presents that night, but celebrated in our traditional way on Christmas morning.


     In Germany, the day after Christmas is also a holiday.  All the stores are closed, and so was the temple.  Three of us missionary couples were invited to dinner at the home of Dietmar and Ilona Harzt.  Ilona serves in the temple twice a week, but her husband is not a member.  It was great to visit an authentic German home, the first I have been inside.  Ilona fixed a beautiful lunch for us, we visited their garden and yard ( no snow yet), and then went back inside and had kuchen (cake) and cookies and hot chocolate.  We sang Christmas carols together and learned a bit about Ilona and her husband.

DIETMAR & ILONA HARZT

   Ilona's father was in the first temple presidency of the Freiberg Temple.  She grew up in a home where the church influence was very strong.  Ilona's husband, worked as a miner.  Freiberg was famous for its' silver mining.  He worked in the mining industry for many years.  His area of expertise was in blasting.



     Temple work resumed on December 27th, and we had a four day week.  Members from the Czec Republic were our special visitors.  Since the Freeman's and the Glomb's were released, and only one couple of the temple presidency were there, plus President Erlacher, we were working with a skeleton crew.  It was a real challenge to meet all the needs of the patrons visiting.  We worked pretty hard.  We look forward to receiving more temple missionaries in January, February and March.


   New Year's Eve afternoon, we had dinner with another missionary couple, Lee and Lyn Ashby. 

THE EXTENT OF OUR NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION

They wanted us to orient them to their new assignment in the temple, since we were just finishing doing that assignment.  Later, in the evening,  we all gathered in the missionary room and played the "Name Game," and watched a movie about the life of Mario Facione.  Mario was a member of our Ward in Livonia, Michigan and we knew his family quite well.  He had been part of the Detroit Mafia, and had left it to join the church.  The movie was like a documentary of his life.  We ate snacks and enjoyed the story, then shared a few noisemakers and other New Year's celebration paraphernalia.  We could hear fireworks going off throughout the night from 5 PM until after midnight.  They really go for New Year's fireworks here.  We watched a few fireworks, and then came inside and went to bed.

WE KNEW THE FACIONE'S FROM OUR LIVONIA WARD

     HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018:  Bill and I now resume our temple duties, and we are in charge of the baptistry for January, February and part of March.


     I was saddened to learn that my Brother in law, Bill Jenks, from Sacramento, California, died on Christmas day.  Bill was a wonderful, kind man, and had battled Alzheimer's disease for about 10 years.  I was happy that his fight was over, but will miss him.  My sister, Marlene, has cared for him so well, and I know she and their children and grandchildren will miss him, but are glad that his struggle is over, and know that he is in a wonderful place.  Her comment to me  was"thank goodness for the gospel."  I echo her words.  Truly, thank goodness for the gospel!

KENT & MARLIS FREEMAN - RELEASED

 

DETLEF & SONJA GLOMB - RETURNED HOME