Stephen and Elaine Biddulph

15 - 21 MAY 2016

It is already Tuesday as I sit down to write this blog for last week. I've been hesitant partly because there just hasn't been a lot of significant interest, other than my routine missionary calls. We haven't really traveled anywhere to sight-see. It has, however, been a heavy week of phone calls. It seems to go in spurts. I don't hear from some missions for several weeks, and, then, I get a sudden burst of action with several calls. That is the way it has been with Spain Madrid. It has really picked up in the past couple of weeks, and others that were once very busy, such as Netherlands, Paris, Barcelona, and Lyon have dropped off. I know that I should not be writing this because it means a deluge of calls are coming from these missions.

President Dieter Uchtdorf (First Presidency of the LDS Church) spent a week in Paris, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia (old name) holding conferences and creating the first stake in Czech Republic. This is his birth country and is certainly a joy for him to see this day. Meanwhile, Elder David Bednar has been holding conferences in Spain and Portugal. So, mission presidents and Area Presidents have been leaping through their belt loops preparing and trying to keep up. That keeps the pressure off me. However, once it is over and the brethren return home, interviews will start back up, and that is when it all hits the fan, so to speak.

We have been doing all our work from our apartment office. I may have mentioned this before, but they moved us out of the Area Office Building across the way to make room for a senior couple coming to be involved with publishing. They need to be close to other employees, and AMHAs can do their calls from anywhere. I actually enjoy working from home. The office is nice and well set-up. I am freer to move about and be more casual than at an office. Elaine misses the socialization with other missionaries, but she gets out and attends group, goes to refugee camps once a week, and walks with the sisters at noon. She has been going to the Limburg refugee camp each Monday to play with the children and be involved with helping the refugees. Yesterday was her last time there because they are closing the Limburg camp. She has become attached to some of the children, and it was a sad thing to see it end. Germany has taken in 1 million refugees from the middle east, as far away as India. They come with nothing or very little, having given up everything they knew, including family, to escape persecution and hopelessness. We had a presentation by Elder and Sister Leimer on the refugee situation, and it is remarkable how good people have overcome suspicion and fear to open their arms and hearts to these people. We have learned that we are not to fear because fear has torment. We are to love. Yes, it is possible that we will have some who will take advantage of that, but we will not allow them to dictate the desires and emotions of our hearts. We will follow the teachings of the Savior and try and lift and help those who desperately need our help. We will do what is right and let the consequences follow, and pray that the Lord will bless and protect us and all our good friends here.
A refugee (a young single man) from Iran named Mohammed was taught the gospel and baptized in Friederichdorf Gemeinde a few weeks ago. He was moved out of Limburg and attends our Offenbach branch. We have become good friends. He is taking a German language class and is preparing to begin to study mechanical engineering for a Masters degree. He is a very faithful and new member. We conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon him and is is now functioning as a priest. Sunday, I called him to be an assistant to President Merkel to be responsible for the sacrament. He has passed the sacrament a couple of times and is learning how to prepare and bless it. He is learning the sacrament prayers in German. The ward members are warming up to him. It is a joy to see.
It is beginning to feel more like we are ending our mission. We are the next seniors to leave, and people are already expressing sorrow that we are leaving. They are lining us up to give talks and do other things. We have our flight itinerary home and are having to make preparations to clean our apartment and turn in our auto and all that stuff. But we are not at all trunky or "short" as they may say today. We love what we are doing and still have 5 weeks to enjoy our service. We often wonder what life will be like without our wonderful cemetery forest that we have come to love and spend so much time wandering about in. It is strange to become so attached to a cemetery (Friedhof), but you have to see it to really appreciate it. It is like some kind of enchanted forest!
We enjoy our walks and are looking forward to a trip to Garmisch, Innsbruck, and Salzburg, Austria. That will be our last. There is some preparation and concern about the mosquito viruses that are beginning to plague southern Europe along the Mediterranean Sea and also in Cape Verde off the African coast. The Church is allowing sisters to wear pants to protect their legs against mosquito bites and also from too much sun exposure.