Sunday, 22 April 2007

Just returned from my speaking assignment, and this weekend has been full. Left on Friday to Hamburg (after having been there last week for Stake Conference) and took with us a Young Adult to meet up with the other Stake YA for a dance and Saturday activity etc. The Young Adult dance was a "crazy hair " dance, so Marie got her hair "reworked", they couldn't do anything with mine, I don't have much! The couple we stayed with, Elder and Sister Maichal, pictures attached. One of our Young Adults and his hair, Steve Prabowo, a Chinese young man from Indonesia studying here in Bremen, been a member a year.

Dance went till midnight Friday, then some stayed at building till 2 AM. Marie left with the wife of another missionary couple as we were staying in their home (German Missionary Couple assigned to the Hamburg Center) about 11, so Rolf and I kept an eye out on the youth until one of the local Bishops came to lock up. We then traveled about 45 min to his home. Bed about 1 AM. Then up at 7, had our typical German breakfast with the Maichels, having picked up some fresh goods at their little village bakery (you got to love it when Marie sticks a slice or two of German sausage on a Brötchen covered with jam. No Marie, it is cheese with jam, not sliced lunch meat)--and eats it! Me, I stick with the basics: whole wheat/seeded roll, camenbert, yogurt, juice and a 4 min. soft boiled egg eaten with a tiny little silver spoon as it sits in a tiny little decorated ceramic egg holder).

Then a full day back at the Hamburg Center, then drive back home to Bremen by 7:30 PM, then review my talk for Sunday. Up at 6:30 and off for 90 min drive to Wilhelmshaven to attend their Branch meetings. Priesthood Meeting:7 members. Total Sacrament Meeting: 25. One of the Stake Presidency was there with me, as we released the only counselor to the Branch Presiodent, then sustained and later set apart a new 1st Counselor and also sustained one of the Full-Time Missionary Elders to be the 2nd Counselor. Good call, as he is from Austria and will help quite a bit in the Branch for about 6 months.

Then after their testimonies, a short talk by two YW (actually the only two YW in the Branch), verse 1 and 4 of a rest hymn then I get to give my talk...as always, I plan for 18-20+ minutes...I had 8-9. Just throw away 3-4 pages...didn't need them anyway.

One of the main topics I presented was keeping the Sabbath as members of the Church. All went well, finished up the set aparts, then we depart for the drive home (it is 2:30 and we are back---helps to be able to drive much of the way from 75-90 Mph). A note of irony: Marie's sugar level drops, so she must eat, ok, just go through the Burger King Drive for a little lunch we can eat on the road home, then she has 'got' to go to the toilet about 30 minutes from home, so stop at the gas station on the Autobahn, just as my gas gauge hits red line,so, fill'er up Elder! I guess I already paid for the transgression-gas was $6.90 per gallon. Even at 32 mpg, that doesn't lessen the sting! Good Sabbath everyone!