15-22 NOVEMBER 2015

Stephen 70 years young

Another busy week gone by. On Tuesday (17th) Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Christensen (Presidents of the Seventies) visited us in Frankfurt. They have been and will continue to visit around Europe. They were kind enough to spend some time with the employees and missionaries at the Area Offices. Then, on Tuesday evening they gave a Europe-wide broadcast to 29 different languages on the role of councils in ministering to the saints in Europe. The meeting was held in our Offenbach chapel. Elaine was asked to be the chorister for the meeting and so her cheery little face was broadcast all over Europe. It was a nice meeting and the spirit was strong. We had some strong spiritual impressions about how to minister to our little flock in Offenbach. Elder Ballard emphasized for us to remember who we are and not to be casual or satisfied in our search for ourselves and true identity, but grow continually brighter. He quoted from D&C 76 and 138.

     On Saturday I turned 70 years old. This little joke will date me, but I have chuckled through the years on this one. People were talking about things their mothers did while they were pregnant with them that affected them in some way later in life. One man said, "Well, my mother pricked herself on a phonograph needle, and it didn't affect me...it didn't affect me...it didn't affect me." Only those who remember the old phonograph records and how they used to get stuck will appreciate that one. Perhaps not! I appreciated the phone calls from children and and family and their expressions of love.

   

Elaine (mein Mitarbeiter)

 On Sunday evening Brother Muir (head of emergency response for the Church) gave us a very interesting fireside on the refugee situation and the Church's response to various catastrophes around the world. It staggers the imagination the good, compassionate service the Church offers. compassion does not have artificial boundaries, as President Monson has said. He noted that an estimated 60 million people around the world are displaced from their homes (some outside and some inside their countries). 7.6 million from Syria, 3.6 million from Iraq, and 4.8 million from Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. He said that the reason so many of the refugees are young men is that they are fleeing from having to serve in the army and they are trying to get a financial footing somewhere else so that their families can join them. Germany alone has taken in nearly 1 million refugees and they are spreading all over Europe. They see Europe as the "promised land." There is no doubt that radical terrorists are infiltrating along with them, but it opened my eyes to the possibility that this is how the Lord is going to open these people and countries up to the gospel truth. He has always used human conflict and war as a means of opening up hearts and spreading gospel truth. Europe could become a huge area for people to be influenced by Latter-day Saints and the gospel.

     There is no doubt in our souls that the time is growing short. We need to be temporally and spiritually prepared. We encourage our families to be wise in their decisions and work hard to get themselves out of debt and be self-sufficient as much as they can. Challenges and even hard times are coming, and we need to be prepared to meet them without fear. If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.