Dear Family,
This past week, we worked hard to be able to leave on Thursday for Dresden. So each day, we stayed late in order to have the work done in the office.
Also, on Wednesday, Gpa George taught the Senior Missionary Book of Mormon class. He had spent hours preparing for it, and he did such a beautiful job with lots of participation and definitely the Spirit was there. We were talking about the Vision of the Tree of Life that both Leih and Nephi saw—how absolutely essential it is to hang on to the Iron Rod, which is the Word if God, “to safely guide us through.” Gpa compared it to the 1/3 mile-long Moscow Bridge we walked to get to the Area Office, which was absolutely treacherous in the winter time with all the snow and ice. We knew if we literally hung on to the iron rod on that bridge, we could make it! We talked about helping our children and grandchildren gain the self-esteem they need when the people in the great and spacious building start bullying them and making fun of their religion. We know that does and will happen. But Nephi showed us how to handle it—he “heeded then not.” Great discussion with the Seniors who all have such LOVE and concern for their families.
On Thursday, we left for Dresden—which ended up being 5 1/2 hours away. There was an accident on the Autobahn, which backed up the traffic for about an hour at one point—so frustrating!
We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express right in the old area of town—with the Christmas Market just a few steps away. It was a perfect place! We LOVED seeing all the different vendors and people who were having such a good time there. The people just enjoy walking around—and of course, eating their brats and having cups of hot drinks—whatever it is! Everything would have been perfect had the weather cooperated a little better. It was cold and raining all three days we were there, which was disappointing.
This past week, we worked hard to be able to leave on Thursday for Dresden. So each day, we stayed late in order to have the work done in the office.
Also, on Wednesday, Gpa George taught the Senior Missionary Book of Mormon class. He had spent hours preparing for it, and he did such a beautiful job with lots of participation and definitely the Spirit was there. We were talking about the Vision of the Tree of Life that both Leih and Nephi saw—how absolutely essential it is to hang on to the Iron Rod, which is the Word if God, “to safely guide us through.” Gpa compared it to the 1/3 mile-long Moscow Bridge we walked to get to the Area Office, which was absolutely treacherous in the winter time with all the snow and ice. We knew if we literally hung on to the iron rod on that bridge, we could make it! We talked about helping our children and grandchildren gain the self-esteem they need when the people in the great and spacious building start bullying them and making fun of their religion. We know that does and will happen. But Nephi showed us how to handle it—he “heeded then not.” Great discussion with the Seniors who all have such LOVE and concern for their families.
On Thursday, we left for Dresden—which ended up being 5 1/2 hours away. There was an accident on the Autobahn, which backed up the traffic for about an hour at one point—so frustrating!
We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express right in the old area of town—with the Christmas Market just a few steps away. It was a perfect place! We LOVED seeing all the different vendors and people who were having such a good time there. The people just enjoy walking around—and of course, eating their brats and having cups of hot drinks—whatever it is! Everything would have been perfect had the weather cooperated a little better. It was cold and raining all three days we were there, which was disappointing.
On Friday, we did the hop on-hop off bus to see the city and to be able to be inside where it was warm and dry! Dresden is an amazing city—almost totally rebuilt after being bombed with over 650,000 incendiary bombs (bombs that don’t explode, but just start huge, high temperature fires that can melt almost anything). Three hundred people sought shelter in the church’s crypt when the bombing started, but amazingly enough, all safely escaped when the temperature got over 1,000 degrees and totally destroyed the entire church except for a couple of walls. Later the people gathered what stones they could, categorized them, and had to wait until after Communism failed, and they could re-build their city. They first re-built the palace, then through lots of LOVE, hard work, and money, they were able to re-build the church! There is actually a monument to the women who worked so hard in saving so many of the stones which were used in re-building, plus small pieces being sold to get money for the cost of restoring the church. Another interesting fact--Atop the church is a cross designed by an Englishman whose grandfather was part of the 1945 Allied air raid on the city. What his grandfather had helped in destroying during the war, he helped in putting something together, which was given by the English to the Germans after the church was finished as a gesture of good will.
VW Manufacturing - Tours show you exactly how the cars are made in this all-glass multi-billion dollar factory.
What the Dresden Fraukenkirche looked like after the bombing of World Ware II;
After nearly 13 years of rebuilding, the church was reconsecrated on October 30, 2005.
On our way to Moritzburg Castle about a half hour away from Dresden.
On Saturday, we planned to go to see the Green Vault, where they have all their jewels and treasures inside the palace, but it was raining such cold rain, we decided to just start home because we didn't want to ride all that distance in cold, wet clothes since we had already checked out of our hotel. Anyway, we still felt it was a wonderful experience to go to Dresden and will have to go again!
Sunday, we just had one hour of church, which told the birth of our Savior, plus music and Christmas carols. Wow! I hate to see Christmas come to a close! This is truly such a beautiful time of year!
Monday, we actually had a lot of work to do to get ready to go to Birmingham, England, which we will be doing this coming Friday to train a new AAA there. It felt like a work day, but the office was closed, so we both worked from home. We toured a little ways up on the mountains to some beautiful little German towns that you would never know were there! That night, it was just George and me eating Christmas Eve dinner and missing all of our family, for sure! It's a good thing we like to be around each other, but there are sometimes when you just yearn for family!
Tuesday, Christmas! We headed down to Frankfurt for the Senior Missionary Brunch. A Senior couple who does catering in Australia had planned it and assigned all the food. It really was a treat! We had a little program, and we realized afterwards that since we were all grandparents and trying to sing carols with us all missing our families, we had to speed up the carols because we were singing them like a funeral and some of us were in tears! Hah! Afterwards, we went to downtown Frankfurt and then went back to our apartment. We loved it when the calls started coming! It meant so much to have the Christmas calls, and we so appreciate your remembering us on your Christmas Day! We loved how excited all the kids were about Christmas and them showing us what they had received.
Wednesday, Boxing Day. I knew they had Boxing Day in England, but I didn't know they observed it here, too, in Germany--the day you get out all the boxes and put all the decorations away. Not many really do that because they usually leave them up longer to enjoy them, but it is, also, a holiday, so absolutely everything is closed so people can spend time with family and friends. We were invited by the Director of Finance to his home to eat and play games. What a great time we had! His wife is from England and she made us roast beef that they brought back with them the last time they went. It was sooo good! We just have hardly had roast beef in the year and a half we've been gone! It made me so excited to get home and put that Dutch oven in with a big piece of good ole' roast beef in it again! We took Crown Five with us and taught their two recently returned young returned missionaries, plus the dad and mother, how to play. Their boys are such fun and we had a great time with all of us playing and laughing. Then, that really did help us fill the gap a little of not having our grand kids to do that with.
Well, this is waaay too long again. Tomorrow is another work day, then we leave for Birmingham, England on Friday until Monday for the training, so we have lots to still do to make sure we are ready to go for that assignment.
It sounds like everyone had such a wonderful Christmas and pre-Christmas. And we understand Grandpa Rigby's Bingo Party was a very big success just like it always is. I'm so glad. My dad looks forward to that every single year.
Thanks again for your love and support. You all mean so much to us!
Much love, Gma Laura
PS Today, is George's sister, Elda's 82nd birthday! Do you believe it? Seriously, she doesn't look a day over 65--still goes to the spa to work out, and is seriously one of the kindest-hearted persons I know. We surely appreciate her support she has given us on this mission. Thanks, Elda! You're wonderful!
Also, on Sunday the 30th of December is Kyle and Kim's 23rd Anniversary. I, also, don't know what we would have done without all the people that Kyle has put in our path in Russia and in Turkey who have helped us out so much! Plus, Kim has been so wonderful to put together so many care packages to send with Kyle when he comes for business. Thanks so much! We surely LOVE them and their wonderful family! We surely enjoyed their call on Christmas!
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