Stephen and Elaine Biddulph

25 - 30 APRIL 2016

April is gone! Germany has certainly blossomed back into robust spring. Everywhere the flowering trees are heavy with blossoms. The Germans are back in their Kleingartens cultivating their little plots, planting garden seeds, and filling them with beautiful tulips and other flowers. One thing we admire about the Germans is their absolute love for nature, animals, and such. They love to get out and walk, ride their bikes, and enjoy nature. We love to see families out playing together. They seem to be more active and together as parents with their children than American families these days.
We saw a documentary that a friend of ours put on Facebook about how the Finnish have created the world's number one best students out of their children, and they do it by spending amazingly little time in the classroom. They allow them to be kids and to play outside and enjoy things like nature. We have known this secret for years growing up in Idaho as we did. Stephen's Mother taught him to be a kid and she was a college professor of Children's Literature. She said to him, "Stephen, don't grow up too fast. You're going to be old all of your life. Enjoy it while you are young." He took her wisdom perhaps further than she intended. He still hasn't grown up!! But we see so many American parents, especially LDS parents, driving their children into amazing achievements. They are driven to excel in sports, music, AP courses, and a thousand other things until they have no time just to be a kid and to learn to play, interact, and have fun. They are so busy raising blue-ribbon roses that no one takes time to smell and enjoy them. We were always grateful for wise parents who knew the value of and gave us time to just be kids. Go fly a kite! Go climb a tree! Go swim in a canal! Get some imagination instead of just achievements.
We said goodbye to some dear friends this week and next. Two senior missionary couples returned home Friday. Rand and Kate Ryser were medical advisors and Joe and Marjean Anderson directed the Young Single Adult program in Europe. They leave a real empty spot in our lives. In another 2 weeks or so we lose John and Vonnie Sharpe who directed the Humanitarian program. We have been particularly close to these couples. The next couples to go are US. It seems impossible. It was also announced that Elder Timothy Dyches and his wife, Jill, are being replaced in the Europe Area Presidency. They are returning to Salt Lake about the same time we go. All have made this experience so special for us.
We had an arson attempt yesterday morning to burn down our Offenbach chapel. A postman spotted smoke coming from behind the entrance of our chapel in a secluded area not very visible from the street. Thank Goodness that he saw it and called the fire department. It was put out without much damage except to the exterior and a small part of the rain gutter and roof area. However, another few minutes and it would have spread across the roof and inside, and we might have lost the entire building. The fire department and police don't do any investigations here unless life is lost, so, I doubt we will find out details, but it is obvious that it was intentionally set.
We had another senior zone conference last Wednesday. President Johnson of the Area Presidency spoke to us, as well as messages from those leaving us and returning home: Rysers, Andersons, Sharpes, and Saunders. Had a group photo taken as usual. In comparing this photo with previous ones throughout our mission, we just keep changing, losing old familiar faces and gaining new ones. We look back on old photos with fond memories of good friends. Serving a mission like this where you get to associate with so many good people is a very choice and enriching experience. The only problem I have is that we have entirely too many welcome and farewell luncheons. That's all we seem to ever do is eat away our sorrows or feed our joys. This has got to stop! But as long as our good sisters are running the show I am sure it will not.
Elaine and other sister missionaries have been busy in the last few weeks working with refugee families in Limburg (north of Frankfurt). Several of them visit the camp and do activities and teach the refugees various things. The Frankfurt stake also did a large refugee clothing drive that was nice. The public affairs missionaries wrote up a story about their work and I believe it was posted in the Deseret News this past week. We had an Iranian convert named Mohammed come to church for the first time. He fled his country 6 months ago and came to Europe as one of the refugees. He now lives in the area and was taught the gospel and baptized. There are several prior Muslim brothers and sisters who have been baptized. We are grateful to belong to a Church that is practicing Christ-like values of helping and blessing those in need, instead of fearfully turning them away or ignoring their needs. Acts of terrorism may come, but at least we can say that we did not allow fear to cast out perfect love.
We've taken some nice walks in the spring to off-set the workload with talking to missionaries. It hasn't been as heavy this month in general with fewer number of consultations and such. We love the work and the service in the German branch in Offenbach.