The Famous Autobahn Stau!

We had our first introduction to the great "stau" on one of our trips to Schweinfurt! A stau is a big to huge traffic jam, either caused by an accident or just construction where we lose a lane or two. This particular stau turned out to be an accident somewhere up ahead (learned from someone whose radio was turned on). Usually with construction, we just slow down to 5 to 15 kph and be patient, occasionally stopping, but just for a few minutes. In this stau, we were literally stopped for over an hour! This particular family got a ball and went to the side of the road and played catch. They were lucky to have some construction going on so they had a place to play.

Others just opened up doors, took small walks, helped little ones to an "outdoor facility" (by holding them over the weeds with their drawers at half mast), picnicked from the backs of their cars, etc.

This young mom was following us and had to keep two restless kids satisfied for the hour!

Truckers literally took naps...

And this is our new little buggy (our 98,000 mile little Opel Corsa). It is an automatic but shifts with the awkwardness of a teenager in a stick shift for the first time, but it has gotten us everywhere we have needed to go, and we're grateful!!

We're finally caught up with pictures since the theft of my camera on July 1. Hopefully I will stay caught up and not put you all through so much to see at once!!!

The gospel is true, and it makes us so happy.

And why, you ask, would anyone name a city Pig Crossing???!!!

Yep, that's what we asked ourselves! Schweinfurt lies about 1/2 hour from Wurzburg, and, sure enough, Schweinfurt means Pig Crossing! We called this home for two weeks while we looked for apartments in WB. Apparently there was an area where a river was shallow enough that pigs could cross, thus the name!! I'm not sure that's the whole story, but I'm not too interested in researching it further!!

Here we have the Rathaus, which is really beautiful. The typical open square fronts the building and is used as the weekly marketplace where the farmers bring their produce, flowers, etc. And, of course, you find your bratwurst vendors!!

Below, however, we will show you the real reason it's called Pig Crossing---and these are only a few examples. We're told there are many more throughout the city. The city really lives up to its name!

Welcome to the Texicana Restaurant...

McDonalds...

???

Plus a special rear shot...

No, these aren't the three little pigs, just three guys who wanted their pictures taken! From left to right we have Christian, Rubin, and Friedrich. They were fun!

I hope this little lady gets to wear a coat in the wintertime...

This is the #1 Volkswagen dealer in Schweinfurt...

And this lucky guy gets to sit down on the job...

This is our Schweinfurt high-rise. We were on the 19th floor of 24 floors. I've decided I'm not high-rise kind 'a gal, but it did offer a splendid view, as you will see below! Looking up...

Looking down...

Looking out...You will notice the foresty area near the horizon. That's a great place for long walks. Just as the farmers make walking paths through their fields, the state makes walking paths through the forest areas, offering what seems like hundreds of paths going in every direction. You feel like you're miles from any "city life," when in reality it's only about 15 minutes from you in almost any direction.

These were just two pictures of a beautiful sunset. Love the sun rays!

...

Dad and I painted a self-portrait! Just kidding...it's just a way of keeping a path clear of cars. We felt a strong resemblance, though!

And, last but not least...the "Leash Law"!! There is a wonderful Wild Park just across the street from our apartment which is a humongous version of Willow Park. It also has a forested area with wonderful walking paths, as well as deer, elk, lynx, birds, etc., to keep you company as you walk. It also has a fun water area for kids to cool down in, with slides and shallow pools and a few really creative "toys." There is a huge wooden moose that makes a great jungle gym, a monstrously long 7-9 inch diameter rope that is supported every 4-5 feet with long chains and swings long ways (not front-to-back like a regular swing) for 10-20 feet back and forth. Kids either sit or stand on that and get it really swinging. It's probably one of the most popular of the toys. Anyhow, it's a great place for picnics and a leisurely afternoon (or morning) of reading and relaxing, and it's always crowded and filled with laughter and squeals. It fits all ages from baby strollers to grandma walkers! But...the rule: You must keep your pets (from elephants to tigers) on a leash!

We understand there is another fun pig somewhere in the Wild Park who apparently has a pile of "pearls" sitting before him--wish we could have found him to add to our pictures! I wonder who "cast" them at him!!

The ward in Schweinfurt is about half German, half American (soldier families), and it meets on the fourth floor above the city's casino! They've made the church part of the building really beautiful, though, and the parking terrace and elevator allow you to completely skip the casino! At least the Young Men wouldn't have to go to the donut shop if they decided to skip class--their entertainment would just be two floors down!!

Love to you all!

Meet the Elders of our great district!!

We've only had three district meetings thus far (held weekly), but they have been some of the most spiritual and uplifting experiences of our mission. These young men are so outstanding. They have truly measured up to the raising of the bar. We either meet in Schweinfurt or Bamberg for our meetings, and we have a song, prayer, a "Deutsch tip" (a helpful hint on a German topic), a spiritual thought, then a lesson from our district leader. This last week was on pride, and it was one of the most well-thought-out lessons I've ever heard, helping us realize how pride can affect our relationships with companions, members, etc. I won't even try to repeat it; just take my word that it was to the point, yet extremely loving and spiritual. We then had a testimony meeting in which all of those young men expressed their very deep desires to serve, improve, and some of the struggles they had encountered with pride. I just sat there in awe. How we have learned to love them already!

These two young men are our Wurzburg compatriots. We share the ward with them, and they are incredible and dedicated. The tall one, Elder Wilson, is only about 4 weeks out, and he's doing great with his German--makes me green with envy!!
Now, lest you think this is a weekly occurrence, let me tell you how surprised we were to reach the chapel in Bamberg this last week and have scrumptious aromas floating through the building! We usually have a little bag of candy out for treats, and some of the elders bring their sandwiches for lunch, as they have to travel as much as an hour or so to get to district meeting, but the two Bamberg elders decided to provide LUNCH! And what a lunch it was! It reminded me of you, Jim, and something you would have done with your skills!

We gathered to the kitchen, and this gorgeous goose was produced from the oven! It was stuffed with homemade stuffing, and they had cooked potatoes alongside the goose (and the spuds were done to a tee--soft, yet not mushy!). I was just shocked! Neither elder had ever done such a thing before--they just got it in their heads and decided to do it! Here's the result!

Another set of elders made a yummy tomato and mozzarella salad, and we dined like kings! Elder Gabbott (Mabel Jones Gabbott's grandson--maybe great-grandson) took on the job of carving the bird, and you'd think he'd been carving the Thanksgiving turkey for years, although he'd never done such a thing before.

Here he is again enjoying the drumstick!

I won't do this to you often, as these faces and names won't mean much to you, but I will introduce our group: Left to right: Elder Riesen from Switzerland, a warm, fuzzy kind of guy; Elder Richardson, Elder Erekson, our current district leader (originally from SLC, then Philadelphia).

Elder Wilson from the Ogden area, Elder Leiss from Hamburg, Germany. His older brother also served in this mission.

Elder Walker and Elder Hobbs. Elder Hobbs is from New Mexico, came from a messed up home and is very concerned about the young people having security in the gospel. He's very tender.

And, here are our two chefs together, Elder Walker and Elder Richardson. I'm sorry I don't know more about them, but their testimonies are amazing, and that's been touching to me. They all come from such different backgrounds, stable familes, messed up families, converts, lifetime members, etc. And they've fought to be strong and it shows.

Thus the saga of the goose ends! Next week will be back to normal, but I had to show off the talents of our two chefs--they were so fun and funny! It scared me, though--I hope they don't expect a Thanksgiving dinner from me--it will never equal theirs!

Rimpar - Our beautiful little dorf

Aghhhh! As usual, I blew it first try! This picture belongs clear down at the bottom, as it is a "before" picture of our "kitchen." Just use your imagination when you get down that far and compare it to the existing kitchen--worthy of Better Homes and Gardens at least!

Well, we've learned that our Internet connection is slower than cold tar, so this will certainly keep me from long blogs!! It takes at least five minutes per picture to download, so I'm learning to cut things short! Hoorah, you say!

Anyhow, this is just a small introduction to Markt Rimpar, the little city we now live in. I'll have to get Lynsi to change our home page and put in our new location, as we are no longer in Frankfurt! From our window, we see the schloss (below). It is now the Rathaus (city offices), as well as a cool restaurant and I don't know what else. We'll discover as time goes on.

This is a night time view from our bedroom window as well. The bells from this church ring at the strangest times. They must all have meaning, but right now I don't see much rhyme or reason to them. They do go off on the hour and half hour all day and night, and I think they must be on the quarter hour as well. But occasionally between 6 and 6:30 a.m. they chime for 20 minutes or so just for fun, I think. Everyone here must be early risers!

Same church in daylight.

Same old, same old, but with more of the city.

I'll send more pictures of the house as time goes on, but I had to share the best news of all---we now have a kitchen!! And we didn't even have to install it! These are the "before" pictures--note the bucket and rags stuffed in the pipes, the lack of flooring, etc.

Now...tah-dah!! Magic and beautiful! Aren't we lucky? It is really delightful, and we're so grateful! You can see that we now have a sink where the bucket was, a brand new flat-top stove, "hidden" fridge, and a dishwasher (which we will never use, but it looks nice)!!

Well, that's all for now. I don't know whether to start something else or wait for the millennium. We'll see how far along I can get before bedtime!

You will be hearing tons about Rimpar. We've taken as many walks as time has allowed, and it is a true German village, from the narrow roads, hilly terrain, friendly people, lifestyle, etc.