Activity weekend!

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy for us, with conferences, speaking assignments and travel around the Mission, so just when we thought we'd get a break--the Mission President calls me and he was unable to do the needed interview for a baptismal candidate, so he asked me to conduct it on Friday in Wilhelmshaven. So we pack up and head north. Was a really nice trip culminating in the interview with a very special lady joining the Church in that small branch. She is from Greece and speaks about 6 languages well (she works for a company that does translation work too), including English, German, Spanish, Italian and Tibetan. Yes, she even lived among the Monks for a time.

Saturday was our big Bremen Institute Young Adult Western BBQ for the 5 wards & branches in the western part of the Stake. We were a little worried about turnout and weather, as it had rained all week at sometime and the forecast was rain, rain, rain, summer style. Well it rained all morning and promptly at 3 PM, our BBQ started and the rain stopped! We had a huge turnout, about 45, with plenty of food and games(table tennis, fussball kicker and even some loud card games) for the group. Dave spent much of the time at the "grill" with marinated chicken breast, wings and legs, and knacker wursts, and of course, cheeseburgers. What was fun as the kids brought up their plates for the burgers was to see the variety of toppings they would prefer. Somehow, the traditional hamburger toppings just haven´t hit the continent here yet. The best one, however, was seeing a youth bring to the grill a hotdog bun decked out with red onions and ketchup wanting us to put a plain burger patty on it--yummy.

Yes, Dave, the Grillmeister! Dave even tried his hand at a scratch Baked Bean dish(white beans, ketchup, brown sugar, onions and German bacon etc)...oops, forgot to take it out of the oven in time to eat it. Oh, well, there was always Sunday and the baptism of another young man, Rene´Knutzen, in the Bremen Ward and the traditional Gemeindeessen (Ward Pot Luck). And, was hands down the favorite dish of the day...I didn't even get any. Amazing how good food disappears at a Ward Social; and sometimes even bad food.

Best comment of the weekend, "When is the next YA activity like this, we want to come!" Yep partner, we will see what we can rustle up for ya.