Walks and Outings

The first picture is of the grave yard we often walk through. Most everyone takes great care of their site. Beautiful isn't it. It's very peaceful to walk through. The next picture is of the Leubnitzer Hohe which is the restuarant and hotel that is 100 years old. The next is one of the streets we often walk down. The next two is postcards of Schloss Pillnitz. That's the best we could do since we forgot the camera. But check out the link to it on our letter. Cool pictures on there. The next is the green valley and hillside we discovered on our walk. We've been there twice now. The second time there was a group of school kids there eating lunch. Thanks for letting us share.

Our Center

This is our center all spruced up for the open house and the posters we made for it. The kids like it so much they want it to stay. Elder Hoggan is helping the guys hang up pictures of the temples in the dark hallway downstairs so it looks more inviting. Our team of the soccer tournament in Meissen is the group in the middle of the picture. Then the last picture is of the youth playing some kind of viking game with wood chunks. It was kind of like chess but not really. We had 3 non-members there. It was really fun.

Dresden Gemeinde

The Dresden ward building is a truly unique building. It is also a stake center so it is quite large. Google maps lists it as a temple.

We like that. One of the great features on the grounds of this building is the bronze larger-than-life statue of Karl G. Maeser, who was the first principle of Brigham Young Academy, later known as BYU. He was born in 1828 in Meissen, a small town just up the road from Dresden, and hebecame the first Branch President of the Dresden Branch in about 1855 or 1860. He was instrumental in building up the church in Eastern Germany. Years later he would heed the prophet's call and move to Utah. This statue was unveiled in 2001 by President Thomas S. Monson. There is a plaque on the wall of Brother Maeser's home in Meissen, where he was born. We have that tour still to make. The statue is a replica of the one on the BYU campus. The building sits on Tiergarten Strasse which is the south end of a very large park called Grosse Garten. It is also very famous and an old palace sits in the center of it. Around the south end of the park are many very large homes which were the residences of the very wealthy. They are beautiful still as they have been kept up, but are used for apartments or businesses. The church picked the best part of the city to build the chapel. We don't as yet know the history behind that. But it was in the days of communist control. So it is really a miracle that it was even built in the first place. Many amazing stories about that, we hear. This is the tree that is just outside our door. The Landlord decorated it. These are plastic colorful eggs. It is a tradition in Germany and maybe Millie or John know more about it. We just think they are so pretty and fun. They represent spring and new life, from what our landlord told us. These can be seen everywhere during the Easter time.

Doing the Lord's Work!

It is spring in Dresden now and we are seeing flowers blooming and grass turning green. This picture is in our front yard. We are so very glad for the warmer weather. We've been going on much needed walks.Because our YSA group is 90% male, they love doing active things and they love eating. So notice our last 2 activities have been indoor soccer and making and eating a meal. They are all such fun to be around. One of our YSA just left for his mission to the Denver South Colorado Mission. Cool huh!! We are so excited for him. He is a great young man. He is the one standing with us in the pictures. We made him Rice Krispies and Fudge, something Germans do not make nor do they have the ingredients. It was a going away treat. He loved it. Carol and Joseph, look for him and give him a big...handshake for us. Elder Kalkbrenner should be there in about 6 weeks.
We attened a meeting with the Area CES coordinator, and The missionaries who are over the financial end of the Outreach and CES program. Great, dedicated people. We had lunch with the Bishop and his family last Sunday. They are really wonderful people. The love to make trips to America with their family and have made several. They hope to make more. The kids are learning English in school as most kids do here, so their eldest daughter speaks pretty good English. And the Bishop himself does a great job of it and his wife only a little. But between our German and their English, we had a very enjoyable time together.









We have new missionaries now in our district. We have 2 sets of sisters now instead of one and a new Zone leader and new district leader. They come from all over. Bountiful, UT, Ogden UT, Oregon, Germany, Texas, and Saratoga Springs, UT. They are great young men and women who work hard to serve the Lord. We feel so blessed to work with them. This truly is the Lord's work and it does move forward in such marvelous ways. We are humbled to be part of it.

Ain't nothin' gonna break our stride...nobody gonna slow us down, we've got to keep on movin'.

Here are some fun pictures. We have been so grateful for the things you all have sent. You are awesome. Also, there are pictures of Renee's 2 friends. Doesn't the Mortizburg Castle look so Fairy Tale like? It is currently under re-consturction, but it still was really cool! The picture of the soccer game was one of our YSA youth. He is very good. The players all had to help scrape off the snow the day before so they could play. Whew. It's up in the "mountains". The group shot is of us with our district at the Freiberg Temple. Fun day!

A New Couple for Chemnitz and other Exciting Things

Last week President Pimentel called us to let us know that the Lord is sending a missionary couple to the Outreach Center in Chemnitz. We have come to love the youth in Chemnitz but the load of caring for two centers has been incredibly taxing and unfair to each center to not have someone there full time. So the Worle's from Idaho Falls, ID arrived last Wednesday and Monday we did some training with them. They are wonderful people and he speaks German because he was born and raised here then left to go to BYU. We are having a great time getting to know them.

We also had an opportunity to help the missionaries teach a Spanish mother and her son (yes, she is the mother :). The Elders asked us to come along so Elder Hoggan could translate for them and help the mother feel more comfortable and understand things better. Elder Hoggan was able to relate the First Vision of Joseph Smith and bear his testimony of the truth that Jospeh Smith did in fact see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It was a great experience.After that apointment, we hurried over to the YSA FHE night where they were doing Kareoke and pink pong. We had 14 YSA there which included 3 investigators. Wow!! They usually only have 5 or so. Of course we joined in. Elder Hoggan won his round at the Kareoke and Ping Pong. Sister Hoggan just had lots of fun. We are sitting with Bruce, the Chinese investigator, who is so amazing. He has an incredible spirit about him, eager to learn. We hope some day he will join the church. He reads the Book of Mormon with us once a week and it has really helped him to grow. We will miss him greatly as he leaves this weekend for Dusseldorf Germany. The missionaries are lining him up with contact people so he won't get lost. The other pictures are of some more of the Dresden Youth. Much of the music the youth listen to in Germany is American tunes by American artists. And they know the words. I asked why that was so and the person said becasue German music is not all that great, so they listen to American music. What a great bunch of youth these are!

Elder Hoggan's Adventure

Elder Hoggan can verify it is not fun to get sick outside the US. We are grateful though for good doctors here in Germany and also for the Elders who got us to the Hospital and back after he spent the night there. They were so good to translate for us. It was a urinary tract infection and so he is on anti-biotics. He is doing better and has been out and about some. But he still needs to take it easy. The Elders gave him a blessing before they took us to the hospital and so we know he will be fine and he will finish the mission. The Lord is truly blessing us with tender mercies and even miracles. The Savior Lives and loves us and watches over us. The one picture is of Phil in the hosptial (no hospital gowns in Germany) and the other is Elders Ruchaur and Ellsworth, from Germany and California, respectively.