To our Beloved, Widespread, Nomadic Family,
Some new experiences have kept us fresh and alert which is always invigorating when things seem to be falling into the same old routines. A bookbinding company right next to our Center was apparently remodeling and putting on a completely new appearance. They decided to make a film to be used in their advertising but it focused on how long they'd been in the business and so for a week our street was populated with actors dressed up like they lived back in the 20's and 30's. Great old cars were parked on the street and Grammy especially liked the two young boys who were waiting for their "walk down the street" parts to play.
We didn't realize it was all going to take place until we walked up to this old loaded wagon and a smaller one loaded with books. It made us feel like we were ready to embark on our own Trek Experience.
It was something we wished we'd really had available to us as later in the week we finally located a pretty good bookcase that was needed by our new sisters to store all of their Books of Mormon. We wondered how the previous missionaries had gotten by without one for literally a few years but then you know how sisters sometimes need extra space.
At any rate, we went shopping around and finally found a great buy on sale at IKEA (yes, they're all over) with 4 good shelves costing only 15 Euros if one is willing to put it all together by yourself. On our first day discovering it, it turned out that they were all sold out but said they'd have some more in on Friday. So back we went, this time not carrying any of our normal paraphernalia, picked up the box only weighing about 25 kilograms (do the math, that's X 2.2 to convert to pounds) then had to carry it about a half mile to the nearest bus stop, thence transferring to a subway, then a couple of blocks to transfer to another streetcar and finally a two block walk to the sister's apartment. They live on the fourth floor but thank goodness they have an elevator! It's only at times like these that we really miss a car! Bless her poor worn out rotater cuffs, Grammy really helped carry the load but we're not sure her shoulders will ever be the same again.
We're not doing very well at getting the YSA's to volunteer for a spiritual thought on home evening nights. Thus far this year, we've carried it for 13 weeks which exceeds considerably the 9 weeks we did it last summer. We have had two other volunteers but in both cases they forgot they'd signed up and didn't show. But it's good for us. Neither one of us have ever had to speak in church in German yet though Elder Parker did speak once in the International Ward in English,and Sister Parker did give a talk in German on the Holy Ghost at a baptism. Elder Parker remembers the one Institute class he prepared in German but then had the international attendance in five different languages and decided to translate it all back into English. Even so, they are very tolerant of our attempts to speak their language.
Wednesday night following Institute we got a visit from our newly called Stake Institute representative. Her predecessor has been a wonderful support to us every Wednesday night and with her husband has been called to the Freiberg Temple Presidency. It is still closed for remodeling until next July but she's been in for 5-6 years. Her husband was a previous stake president here in Vienna and they have decided to replace her with our above mentioned visitor. She is a soon-to-graduate medical student, herself a young single adult who is all done with her classes but must still write her thesis which she's doing on type 1 diabetes in children. Talk about a sharp individual, although an American from apparently all over, she was called to the Temple Square Mission while she was living in Germany with the expectation that she already knew German. She didn't then but does now and frequently serves as a translator during stake conferences. She was the one who translated for Julie Bangerter when she was visiting here on vacation that we mentioned quite some time ago. At any rate, she stopped by to talk about what will be happening in the institute this next year and is full of new ideas and approaches that will be a real breath of fresh air. She will be teaching one of the classes in German that Elder Parker will be teaching in English and clearly was a strong indication that the Spirit is still vitally present in picking her for this new assignment.
Our P day yesterday was the first time in several weeks that the temperature was pleasant enough that we thought we might get back to finish up the tour guide from our previous BYU professor's "Eight Great Walks around Vienna." We have now completed 6 1/2 of those walks and reading through the others seems to include many of the areas and sights that we're already familiar with. We did catch four new (actually very old) churches that included preparations for a wedding, the orchestra practicing a lovely classical piece that I'd include but still don't know how to attach videos to emails. Then there was another that was conducting several baptisms up at the altar (of babies of course but they were all pretty cute) and yet a third that had an impressive copy of da Vinci's Last Supper which had apparently been commissioned by Napoleon.
It was his intent to take the original out of Milan, Italy and ship it to France and then replace it with the copy we were viewing. It was eventually acquired by the Hapsburg's after Napoleon was defeated but not before he brought about the abdication of Franz Joseph II, ending a thousand years of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, started by Charlemagne in 800.
The church with the Last Supper has a balcony overlooking the plaza where the abdication was announced and it's right next to the hall where Mozart first publicly performed at the tender age of 6. Although Mozart was born in Salzburg and they definitely still claim him, he died in Vienna where they claim him too.
Our fourth church turned out to be filled with scaffolding as they begin an extensive renovation but we found an interesting side chapel where they must have known something about the Golden Plates! Well it looks like the weather will be heating up a little bit again this next week but it doesn't look to be quite as bad as what we've been through. We're looking forward to a visit from Randy and Nancy this coming weekend so our next letter may be a little bit late.
[Sister Parker] It was good to have nice weather again so we could walk around and visit more Old Vienna sites. It is very interesting to me to look at these old churches. One could almost say there is one on every other corner like chapels in Salt Lake City. Some are a little less gaudy than others but most are architecturally beautiful buildings, gilded with gold, and a bit dark and cold inside. Yesterday we saw one built by the Irish but called the Scottish Church and had a monastery with it. It was a little less gaudy and really quite lovely inside. I could see why someone had chosen it for their wedding. Still it felt cold and a bit dark with solid stone inside and out. While the little orchestra was playing music there was a sweet spirit present, but as soon as it stopped playing the coldness came right back. The same was true in the church of Nine Angel Choirs where the babies were being baptized. Each had families there to support them and they were dressed up for the special occasion. Some of them looked like Mormon families you might see right in SLC, others were a little more worldly. Still they were all trying to participate in a religious experience. It makes me sad to think that most of them reject the gospel. We would like to share the gospel with all of them, and help them understand what a truly eternal covenant is all about. But the only accepting ones are those the Lord has in some way prepared. I can't help but compare our temples to these buildings. Not only are our temples beautiful but they have a powerful sweet spirit inside, that people feel when they walk in the door. This spirit doesn't leave but is always present and doesn't depend on music. A temple marriage is so much more beautiful than worldly things. I look forward to seeing all my granddaughters in lovely white dresses kneeling at the altar of God and to all my grandsons being those worthy priesthood holders kneeling across the altars looking into the faces of worthy young brides. There just isn't anything more glorious and beautiful than the gospel of Jesus Christ. How blessed we are to feel His love shine down on us.
Grammy, Grampa, Mom, Dad, Elder and Sister Parker
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