Dear Family and Friends,
Once again it has been quite an eventful week. After all the transfers from the week before, we have gotten to know most of the new missionaries in our zone a little better. We have another zone training conference coming up this next week, right here in Vienna without getting to travel to Salzburg but we don't anticipate our new mission president to be there.
We have had a little bit of communication from the Clarks and the Jeppsons who seem to have returned, reported and taken up their new occupations. Our old foreign exchange student (not yet 40, so he's not that old!) came into town on Thursday on his way to Croatia for a family vacation. They made it a point to stop by in Vienna on the way to pay us a visit. They put their car in a parking garage and went around with us as we visited various sites. We started out at the 12 Apostles Cellar for dinner, the restaurant we told you about a few weeks ago. They fussed over us there as their youngest son, Heinrich was celebrating his 11th birthday that day, just two days prior to Meaghan's 11th. The first time with identical double digits!
At the 12 Apostles Cellar
Interestingly as the violinist and accordionist played Happy Birthday To You we found out it's exactly the same melody we use in the States, which wasn't the case 45 years ago, just with German wording. Following a delicious dinner we took the opportunity to go to the Praterstern amusement park, sort of a Lagoon like place with roller coasters, Jurassic Park dinosaur scary places and the world famous Riesenrad or Giant Ferris Wheel rivaling the London Eye and whatever they call the new one in Las Vegas and beating them both by a good 145 years. It has been a continual presence as we catch one of our subways right in the neighborhood of the park and it was there 45 years ago when I first came to Vienna but we have never ridden on it until this week. We had lots of fun and I told them that it never would have happened to us old people if there hadn't been some kids along. It's not a whoop-de-do ferris wheel by any means and you only make one circuit up and over but it's mostly for the great view of the city and the park and it truly is quite huge.
One of the views of the Belvedere Palace with the falls in front..
A cute, strategically placed mirror reflecting the palace in the background but taken with the falls behind it and looking the other way. The inscription (difficult to read at the bottom of the mirror) states "The perfect tourist". Me with Leonie to my right and Ferdinand to my left.
The next day we met at the St. Stephen's cathedral where they were conducting a funeral service for one of the priests who had passed away and there was also a major funeral going on in the city for one of the past presidents of the Austrian National Council, sort of like a Speaker of the House person and that was really rerouting a few of the street cars that we normally ride on. But they uniquely wanted to see one of the classic palaces that we had not yet been to, the Belvedere Palace so that was interesting and quite beautiful. We then divided up with half the party going shopping (Markus' wife and two oldest kids) while the rest of us went up to the Vienna International Center or UN base, walked and waded around a city park and lake and then walked across the Danube River again as we had done a couple of weeks ago on a big bridge carrying our subway train. We are expecting Laurel and Tom Rohlfing in a little over two weeks and have been trying to figure out where their ship will dock. While at St. Stephen's cathedral that morning they had all kinds of tour groups walking around from their cruise line and I asked a couple of guides where the ship was docked and none could tell us. Fortunately, as we walked across the Danube we went right by three ships from their line all tied up together at the most likely spot we could come up with so I think we'll be able to find them when they come cruising down from Budapest on their way to Germany.
We all got together again at a fancy new and famous restaurant called Figlmuellers for authentic and genuine Wiener Schnitzels and then finished out the day at our YSA Center where the kids could relax, enjoy Grammy's waffles and play games. We gave Heinrich a portable version of Rummikub for his birthday and played a round at the 12 Apostles Cellar but had the full-size version at the center as well. He also took to attempting pool with a nice pool table that we have for recreational purposes. It was a good night for us because of the 12 people who were there that night, 7 were non-members so it was a wonderful night for a little missionary work. The woman I have mentioned in the past who wants temple work done for her ancestors as well as our young lady from Kazakhstan were there so we had a wonderful and very enjoyable evening. We walked the Wiese's back to their hotel which was a very nice little bed and breakfast place reasonably close to the center but by the time the evening was over we figured we had walked several miles around all these places.
On the Riesenrad
The next day was supposed to be our P day but we ended up looking for a new refrigerator for one of the elders' apartments. We have one business we usually frequent but figured we'd go hunting for another one we frequently see advertised that was located in a section of town we'd never been to before. We started out again at St. Stephen's cathedral where we picked up tickets for a Mozart/Strauss concert we'll attend with the Rohlfings which were reduced because we were buying them early. Then we walked down to the concert hall to see how long it would take us to get there, then ate lunch in a local park, then rode to the new refrigerator place which ended up being more of a factory and not open on Saturdays and did all of this in 89 degree weather with about 70% humidity. No wonder I'm losing weight! There's very little of downtown Vienna we haven't seen up close and on foot as we walk around and I don't think we've still scratched the surface.
(Sister Parker) One of the views from the top of the Giant Ferris Wheel
We were very happy to receive a very large care package, covering my special needs for lotion, sheets etc. But we were most happy to receive all of the colorful letters from the family reunion. We have decided to open them one a day so that we can extend the openings to a month. Its always a mystery as to who wrote the letter and afterwards we post them on our little bulletin board. A sweet little joy each day. We also love seeing the randomly posted pictures of everyone and what they are doing. I can't wait for the next rain,down pour. It does cool things down a bit. It was also good to hear that you had a lot of rain to give our grass a chance to grow again.
Let me share an experience that makes me laugh and shows how much Heavenly Father participates in our lives. Since arriving here it seems that I have been asked to pray almost every Sunday in one meeting or another. Well, I was beginning to think why do they keep asking me? I don't particularly like being put on the spot to pray in German every week. So I was hoping they wouldn't ask so much and felt really good last Sunday that I had gotten through RS. and Sunday School without being asked to pray. In Sacrament Mtg. I felt fairly safe. I was sitting in the middle of the row with people around me, when one of the bishop's counselors came up and leaned way into the row over other people and asked me to give the closing prayer. This almost made me laugh out loud, but I was the only one who knew I was trying to get out of it and Heavenly Father knew I needed the practice. This week I came prepared to give any prayer they asked for, so, of course, they didn't ask me. Instead they asked both of us to give our testimonies in sacrament mtg. That worked out just fine and the words came that I needed. Now, I think I will mentally prepare for anything they might ask of me. Again I have seen the scripture fulfilled, that the spirit will give you the words that you need at the moment you need them. Hugs and Prayers.
Love,
Grammy, Grampa,
Mom, Dad,
Elder and Sister Parker.
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