NEW CALLING!

This Sabbath morning we drove to Offenbach meetinghouse for our Sabbath services. The stake president was waiting for us. He called me to be the 1st counselor in the new branch presidency that was formed and set apart today. Poor Elaine once again gets to sit alone in sacrament meeting as she has done most of our married lives. Testimonies born today were sweet and sincere. It being fast and testimony Sunday, I bore a brief testimony in German and introduced ourselves. The active members of the branch are only about 40-50 counting children. Our branch president, Pr. Merkel, works for the Church and is 35. The members are so loving and accepting of us. Four to six Elders attend the branch. Two of them are from Utah Valley.  At first, it seemed like everyone was speaking at maximum speed and it was very difficult to understand them. So many words I don't understand or have forgotten. By the end of the 3-hour block, however, things seemed to have slowed down and I could understand many more words and the basics of what people were saying--even in Sunday School. We have much work to do to bring a spirit of reactivation and commitment to the ward. The heavy load in mental health and the branch leadership is going to keep us very very busy, but joyful. This afternoon I am spending putting together a spiritual thought auf Deutsch for our Tuesday evening ward council meeting.