Stephen and Elaine Biddulph

22 - 29 MAY 2016

This past Monday Elder Leimer and his wife (Area Seventy who is also a church employee at the Area Offices) presented a devotional on the refugee situation. They drew the comparison between the fear and exclusion being expressed by some in Europe and in the USA in allowing refugees from the Middle-East crisis to come and find refuge, and the view that all of us who have worked closely here with the refugee situation feel. Such a stark difference is drawn between the gospel of love and the natural feelings of fear.

60 million refugees exist in the world who have been driven from homeland because of gender, religious, political, and other issues. One million have been housed in Germany. When one has been to the refugee camps and worked closely with these people who have nothing, one begins to see a face of humanity and suffering, instead of one of fear. We admit that our first worry when the refugee pilgrimage began was that it was a plot by ISIS to smuggle in their home-grown terrorism. There was a lot of sense to that fear. However, as we have interacted with Muslim people, we have seen the families desperate plight and have come to realize that they are in many ways just like us. They need our help. There is no way that a soft heart can turn them away. We have come to love our friend, Mohammad, who attends church with us and is so faithful and good.

We have heard much from the USA political arena about fear of helping refugees in the USA. We understand that fear, but our experience in Germany has taught us that when you put a face on these refugees you begin to see them up close and personal as people who have had unimaginable trauma and suffering, you see them with compassion. Perhaps those who would be our leaders should take the time to visit, and they would see the refugees as real people instead of through the eyes of fear.

It has been another full week of calls with missionaries and mission presidents and wives. It seems as if most of the issues are stress, depression, and anxiety. We continue to get calls on new missionaries most days. We have not lost our love for talking to these fine young men and women, but we seem to yawn a lot and get worn out by the end of the day. In addition to our full-time work with the missionaries, we have other meetings and work associated with our Offenbach Branch. Elaine has primary work and Stephen has many administrative matters pertaining to the branch, as well as ministering to their needs. He does all the planning for Sacrament meeting talks, as well as oversees the work of the ward mission leader and full-time missionaries. Yet, we would not have it different. Despite the extra burdens, this has been a wonderful experience for us. We love our callings and will miss them so much when they are finished.

Yesterday (Sunday), Stephen trained our Iranian friend, Mohammad, on how to prepare the sacrament. He has been called as the branch president's first assistant in the priest quorum (we actually don't have a priest quorum but more just an Aaronic Priesthood group of 3 young men and Mohammad). He came early yesterday and they went through sacrament set-up procedures together. He prepared some information about the priesthood, the importance and purpose of the sacrament, and a few other things for him to read. Mohammad is so faithful and attentive to coming to church. After church, we had lunch at Hans and Nora Gehrig's home in Münster-Altheim, along with Andreas and Sabina Nau and Troy Murphy. They are all members of the branch. The Gehrigs have been so kind to invite us to their home a few times. We got home after 4 p.m. It was a long day, but nice.

The weeks now seem to go by like days. This week brings the month of June - our last in Germany. Next Sunday is a special multi-stake conference with a broadcast from Salt Lake City. The following Sunday (12th) will be fast Sunday. The following Sunday Elaine gets to speak in our sacrament meeting. The last week here we both have been asked to speak in the senior devotional. Stephen also teaches the senior Book of Mormon class that Wednesday, and then speaks in church the last Sunday. We are anticipating that we will both be released from our callings in the branch on that Sunday. Two days after that, Sister Keyser and Lovell arrive to assume duties as Area Mental Health Advisors. Two days after that we head to the airport and home, and this wonderful experience will all be in the rear-view mirror. But we will remember. Stephen has keep this blog faithfully every week, and we have taken many pictures. All of this we will put into missionary book filled with pictures, notes, and memories of another of our excursions.

We feel so blessed to have had so many opportunities to travel and be involved with the church in various places. As we look back, our life has been one of missionary service and travel - something we never would have expected growing up in rural Idaho. Our twenty years in the Marines was really a full-time mission, moving every 2-3 years all around the USA and Japan. Our three years at Southern Virginia (SVU) was a mission to serve among our Baptist friends. Our mission to the Hawaiian Islands exposed us to 72 different nations and the Far-eastern countries. Our mission here to Germany has brought us closer to the European countries. Our service in branches at the Mission Training Center in Provo and in stake and wards at BYU have also been missions in preparing young LDS men and women to serve their own missions. When we look back and count up the years of missionary service away from our home in Provo, Utah, we've been gone on missions far more than we have been at home. It has been nearly 40 years of moving, meeting new people, serving in callings, and sharing the gospel. We wonder what is next! We need some time with our family. That is what needs to come next for a period of time.