13-19 Juli 2015

Monday morning (13th) we had our normal 9:00 a.m. devotional in the chapel. Speakers are selected from the employees and senior missionaries. In April I was asked to give an address which I did on the importance of covenants in our lives. Monday afternoon each week the medical and mental health advisors gather for some case discussion and training. On Tuesday morning at 10:00 we meet for an early release meeting where we discuss missionaries who might need to be released early for medical or mental health reasons.Last Sunday, I had two cases referred to me for review by mission presidents. One Elder insisted on returning home (he left last Tuesday), and a sister really needed to return home because of significant anxiety and suicidal thinking. I've been involved in helping the sister come to terms with this and with the mother in helping her and the father accept the facts and help support treatment once she returns. These are difficult to handle and rather sensitive for the parents and families at home because they want so badly for their children to be successful. 
     On Tuesday evening we attended the Frankfurt Temple as a senior missionary group as part of our senior missionary zone conference. It was a nice session. We will miss the closeness of the temple when it closes in September for two years. On Wednesday morning we held our senior zone

Senior Missionaries Frankfurt, Germany - July 2015

conference. Elder and Sister Dyches spoke to us. Elder Dyches comments were on resilience and they fit nicely with what I had been thinking and experiencing with missionaries struggling with sadness and discouragement and anxiety. We took a zone picture and then walked across the street to eat at a German restaurant. I had schnitzel. It was really very good, especially with lemon juice on it. Elaine had a hamburger - better to be a Hamburger than a Frankfurter!
     Thursday was an absolutely wild day. I had nine missionaries to talk with on the phone, our 6-month interview with Elder Dyches, and a WEBEX phone call with Church Headquarters and other area mental health advisors around the world on mental health issues. I was bushed Thursday night. Friday morning we went down to the driver's license office and picked up our German driver's licenses (Fuhrerschein) which are valid until 2033. Let's see - I'll be 88 years old by then. I don't think I'll want to drive on the German autobahn at that age. Saturday afternoon we had a stake priesthood meeting (Pfahl Priestertumsversammlung) at our Offenbach branch. Sunday was church as normal, and at 6:30 p.m. we had a senior devotional where Pres and Sister Stoddard (Orem, Utah) from the Frankfurt German Mission spoke to us on lessons they have learned about missionary work. Great!