Soccer Mania 2012

It is time for the 2012 Euro cup.  Everyone in Euorpe is watching!  The German people are especially behind their team.  It is one of the favored teams to win.  Our assignment as the Missionary couple to the young adults was to show the soccer games on the big projection screen at the institute.  The young missionaries were so jealous.  They are not allowed to watch TV and could not watch the games.  A couple of them asked for permission but were denied.  Anyway, we would have 20 or ao people show up to watch the game.  Last week, Germany played on Sunday evening.  Church and firesides were over.  Some of the kids asked if we would show the game.  We had to tell them no.   Disappointment reined.  Many scrambled to find someplace to go and watch the game.  In the park between the Brandenburg Gate and the Siegessaule Statue in Tiergarten Park there were over 500,000 people watching the soccer on big screens.  There was standing room only unless you got a grandstand seat to sit on.  There would have been more people but they closed it off.  Last night, Friday, was the same.  The German's played Greece in the quarter finals and won 4-2.  They are the only undefeated team left in the tournament.  The Semil Finals will be next Thursday.  Again the crowds will gather, and soccer mania will rein.  We will show the game at institute.  It really is too bad that the final game is on Sunday.  It would be fun to watch the game with the kids.  They get so into the game.  The cheers and groans are loud and long.  Go Deutschland!

Good Bye BYU...

How quickly 2 months goes.  It seems like we were just waiting for the BYU students to arrive and now they almost  gone.  We worried about the extra work they would create, and how they would fit in with our YSA's.  They were great.  They jumped in and helped when ever they could, were friendly, taught FHE lessons, came to activities, sponsored firesides, and cooked dinner. 

The BYU students put on 3 firesides.  Our YSA's were invited to attend and those that did got a treat.  We first heard from Sis Brewer (BYU instructor).  She shared her testimony and story about adopting 3 minority little girls after having 6 children of her own.  The little girls are adorable, we loved having them in our ward.

 The second fireside featured our own Bishop Bartsch as the speaker.  We met on the grass at the park across from the Maur Museum.  He and his wife talked about growing up in the church behind the iron curtain.  Sitting on the grass with a piece of the wall behind us as he spoke about life in East Germany, you could close your eyes and picture the buildings, and places he spoke about.  The spirit was strong as he bore testimony to the truthfulness of the gospel and about the faith of the saints caught behind the wall.

The third fireside was taught by our former Stake President, President Reiner.  He talked about what you needed to have in order to go forward in life, that we needed to be understanding of others and try to see things from their eyes.  He specifically talked about his mom; how she was a young mother trying to keep her children safe during and after the big war.  When ever there was a thunder storm, President Reiner as a 6 year old boy would run out side and dance in the rain.  His mother, terrified, would call him in, then turn out all the lights, close all the curtains, and locked the doors, and demand that they stay very quiet.  He didn't understand until he was much older that the noise and lightning flashes brought back the horrors of war.  She was hearing bombs explode and seeing fire in the sky, not hearing thunder and seeing lightning strikes and felt helpless.  She was trying to protect her family in a  uncontrollable situation.  It made me think back on my life and acknowledge things I wish I could have done different.

Zeus Dance

This week our YSA's put on another dance. The theme was Zeus, or Greek Gods.  Many of the kids came dressed in togas or as Greek mystical creatures.  The kids danced, played games, ate and hung out for 5 hours.  We had about 70 YSA's attend.  The kids from BYU also came.  I heard some of them say that they they wished they coud dance like the German kids.  The German kids do know how to dance.  They actually dance as couples instead of standing 2 feet apart and not touching.  When the dance was over at the stroke of midnight, 25 kids stayed and helped clean up.  We were done in 30 minutes and home by 1245am.  A fun time was had by all.  Pictures are from the dance.

May the spirit be with You...

Last Sunday night we attended a fireside with the other missionaries in Lankwitz.  It was a wonderful fireside, but the real story happened on the way home.  A bunch of us missionaries headed home on the
S-Bahn at 2130.  About half way home, 5 drunk young men got on the train and sat near us.  We were down to 4 Sisters and 6 Elders by then, several of the Elders having exited the train.  Of course, the skinniest, punkiest of the drunks began yelling at us.  Why is it that the little guys always get tough when they are covered by bigger friends.  One of the Elders started talking to the skinny punk.  I don't know what was said because it was in normal speed German, which is too fast for me to understand.  The skinny punk yelled some more and the cop in me came out and I started to get involved even though I don't speak normal speed German.

But then, my new hero stepped in and saved the day.  She prevented a bad situation from getting worse.  Sis Svoboda is from Switzerland.  She is a tremendous missionary.  She got up and stepped into the group of 5 young punky men and calmly handed each on a Mormon information card we call pass along cards.  She saved the little guy for last.  She handed him a card and then stood and stared at him for what seemed like an hour.  she asked if he had any questions about our church.  He quieted down, not knowing what to do as this confident Missionary calmly and peacefully explained the gospel to him.  Then she walked back to her seat and sat down.  I was as proud as proud could be.  You Rock Sister!  There were no more problems and a few stops later we got off the train without any more incidents.  President, you will be happy to know I didn't hit anyone but I sure wanted to.  Instead a fine Sister taught me lesson about faith and the spirit.

Dan in Berlin