To Our Beloved and Widespread (though at the moment perhaps not so widespread!) Family:
It appears the summer heat has really begun. According to the weather report Vienna hasn't had weather this hot since 2003. We've been up over 90 for a few days now and that's no fun wearing suits and ties. Yesterday we traveled to Wiener Neustadt where we learned that the locals had made the rule that suit jackets were not required and most were in short-sleeved white shirts. Unfortunately, no such rule has come forth from our mission! We've learned that sweat and perspiration are all translated into the same word, "Schweiss" and we are all witnesses thereto.
So school is over, the kids are all out and about and even the streetcars run on a different schedule during vacation time than during the regular school year. The schedule will run as it now is until September 5, essentially giving us only two more months of regular schedules until our mission concludes. We haven't been certain exactly what will happen in our Center although we experienced it all last summer as we were just getting our feet on the ground. We do seem to remember that all of the activities were pretty light as a lot of the YSA's return home and the summer is kind of catch as catch can. Sister Parker has been preparing full meals for home evenings on Monday and we have had so much left over that we have invariably fed our district on Tuesday with the leftovers. They, of course love it but perhaps we'll figure out how to tone things down a bit.
The language courses are running about like they always do so no big changes there. With the BYU group still in town, we have agreed to keep teaching an English class for Institute for a few more weeks but so far they've always had other activities they've been involved in. This week we had our three regulars there and one BYU student but this coming week, the engaged girl is visiting her fiance', the other is leaving today for 13 months to be a nanny in New Jersey and that leaves us with a sweet BYU sister who has received a mission call to Hungary and will be in the MTC in October as well as one of our YSA leaders who returned from his mission about 8 month ago but has wanted to attend the English class. We're pretty much preparing a lesson week by week and will see how long we can keep it up.
Last year the 4th occurred on a Friday, consistent with our Waffle Night and you may remember that Sister Parker prepared a special cupcake tray decked out in the stars and stripes. The Saturday celebration this year was our P-day and so we enjoyed it vicariously with all of you. Though it wasn't much fun running around in the heat we decided to catch a few sight-seeing spots that are all within a half mile of where we live. Several of you might have received an email that morning of our visit to the Kooglemoogle, spelled Kugelmugel. In keeping with the spirit of independence, it is the remnant of a ball-shaped home that was built by a man who declared himself independent of the Republic of Austria back in the 1980's and declared he didn't feel obligated to pay taxes. No doubt he didn't feel like he had adequate representation. His efforts fell on deaf ears and he was actually imprisoned for a while until pardoned by the Prime Minister with the understanding that he would henceforth lead an exemplary life.
His home is now located pretty close to the giant Ferris Wheel of local fame and is pretty buried within the trees. We also decided to visit the site where a beautiful Jewish synagogue once existed. It served as an architectural model for several other synagogues in cities around Europe but was destroyed by the Nazis on the infamous Crystal Night when the "barbarian hordes" stormed through the city burning and looting anything of Jewish ownership. Interestingly, that occurred on November 10, 1938 when Great Grandpa Parker was just celebrating his 16th birthday. (I remember while living at Camp Pendleton that November 10 is also the anniversary of the United States Marine Corps!)
The synagogue was completely burned to the ground and at the time was a refuge for many Jews who had come together seeking shelter from the persecution that was raging around them. It has now become a shrine with many names noted on the fence around it who were deported to various concentration camps and there murdered during the Holocaust. It was Saturday and we were interested to see the many Jewish families there, a new synagogue having been built next to the original site.
The three white pillars represent the memorial. Note the families in both pictures.
Sunday, of course, was Fast and Testimony Meeting and we decided to travel to Wiener Neustadt as noted above to attend church. They have had two missionary apartments there for as long as we have been here. Originally one housed a team of three sisters who divided their time between WN and Vienna proper. But they were eventually moved to Vienna exclusively, much to the dismay of the members and were replaced by a second team of elders. With the continuing decline in our numbers, the President decided to close the second apartment in the ward leaving only the two remaining elders to cover an area that extends over about a hundred square miles. They had departed about 10 days previously with instructions to clean out the apartment of all perishables, wash the bedding and leave it folded in the closets, etc. The mission will continue to pay rent on the apartment for a while pending the eventual increase in numbers and we think this represents perhaps 10-15 apartments throughout the mission that are now vacant. We thought we would see how well they'd done and visit the apartment after the services.
The Relief Society discussed the importance of faith in the basic principles of the gospel and priesthood meeting discussed the importance of family home evenings. Interestingly, only about three of twenty raised their hands to admit they were holding regular home evenings of whom Elder Parker was one but it was a good discussion about several of the options that help provide a wholesome time for the family. In their defense, several of the brethren are in part-member families but I think they were encouraged that they too could promote some wholesome family togetherness time. Sunday School was especially wonderful as we usually attend the Gospel Principles class. It is taught by a truly wonderful brother with the Holy Ghost being the topic. He asked us how long we had been married and he teared up a bit as we told him 46 years. We're aware that his wife divorced him last year and we're sure it has been a difficult time for him but has not diminished the wonderful Spirit he exhibited as he talked about the Holy Ghost. Later in Testimony Meeting he was one of several who bore their testimony and again mentioned us and our long marriage as good examples all should strive for. Everyone was aware of the recent passing of President Packer and along with the vacancy created by Elder Perry's death, many expressed that they were fasting for President Monson as two new apostles will be named. Elder Parker bore his testimony on, among other things, his memories of meeting with Elders Nelson and Oaks many years ago, now the seniors in the Quorum of the Twelve, and discussing the topic of church doctrine on stillborn babies. Elder Parker has long commented that if Elder Nelson ever becomes the President of the church, now looking like more of a probability, he's going to revisit the possibility of the Lord giving us further revelation on exactly when the spirit enters the body.
Following the meeting we began a long hot trek over to the recently vacated missionary's apartment and we thought, wouldn't it be nice if someone offered us a ride. No sooner had we expressed the thought than one of the members and his mother, here from Hungary, offered to drive us over in their nice air-conditioned car! (D&C 58:4 recently quoted to Sister Bonnie Jepson, also briefly without air conditioning) Dropping us off right at the door we walked up three flights of stairs to the apartment which also didn't have air conditioning but did have a fan we immediately turned on. The other two elders had been there the day before and warned us that the place was still a huge mess and they were right. Lots of perishables still in the refrigerator which hadn't been cleaned or turned off according to instructions and numerous bags of trash lying around. We worked for a couple of hours to straighten things up and then received a call from the other two elders who had finished their appointments for the day and asked if they could come and further help. We decided the ox was in the mire and welcomed their assistance. We figure it took about 8 man hours (and about 4 woman-hours) to get it all fixed up. There was wet laundry still in the washer that clearly needed re-washing. We divvied up the residual food between them and us, leaving some non-perishables available for the ward mission leader who will come by to dispose of the various trash bags in the appropriate, Austrian environmentally-friendly, trash receptacles including glass, paper and wet garbage! We got on a fast train home and even though it wasn't air conditioned, the windows were all open and we had a wonderful wind (breeze is not a strong enough word) blowing through the car to keep us reasonably comfortable.
My mind this week, especially, Friday and Saturday was on the 4th of July. Even some of the members here wished us a Happy Independence Day, which I thought was great since not everyone here loves America. But I do and I'm glad to let anyone who wants to know that America's "Declaration of Independence" has blessed in one way or another every nation of the world. We believe in Liberty and Freedom and I'm grateful to all those who have fought for those rights from the beginning of our county to those who have willingly fought to allow those rights to other nations throughout history. On Saturday, since we couldn't find a Balloon Fest, we went out for the traditional breakfast at the best American place we could find "McDonald's." We also listened to as many of the patriotic Tab Choir renditions as we could find. The words touched my heart. "Oh, beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years" May God truly bless America through her difficult times and may we ever be part of those patriots who stand up for her.
Grammy, Grampa,
Mom, Dad,
Elder and Sister Parker
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