The weather has been beautiful here. We had one chilly, rainy day this week but today was really beautiful. Andrew and Miriam are leaving Germany next week. Miriam has offered to give us all kinds of things. Today she and Andrew showed up with a couch that someone gave them when they came here 6 months ago. The sectional sofa in our apartment was pretty old. One of our newly adopted Young Adults had told the Blodgetts to trash everything in the old apartment and get new things for the new apartment. They did get rid of some things but not the sofa. Dad found 2 families in our building who wanted the sofa. I felt bad we didn't have something for each of them. Patrick had volunteered to help us any time we needed anything. He served a mission in the States and comes from a great family here. He asked a nonmember friend from school if he would like to help do a service for some people from his church. The friend agreed and they moved the old couch last night. We gave them each a copy of Natalie and Paul's CD for helping us out. Andrew didn't think they could get their big sofa up the 5 flights of stairs to our apartment, but Miriam is very persistent. They were soaked with perspiration by the time they got up the stairs but we almost didn't make the corner into our apartment. Where we're all our sons who know how to move furniture when we needed them! Anyway, with much patience and a little hole in the upholstery( it won't show) we made it. It is really comfy. We will be able to curl up on that big red couch in the evenings when we are worn out from partying with the Young Adults. Thanks again Andrew and Miriam!
At church with Andrew and Miriam and their family.
We took them out to lunch for some real Schwabian food. Dad had a string of little bratwurst and sauerkraut. I had Schwabian stew with spaetzele. Andrew had roast pork with some different spaetzele. And I don't even know what Miriam's was called. Anyway, we were really full by the time we finished. We had walked down about 70 stairs from the institute building where we parked and maybe a mile total to the restaurant.
Stuttgart is built in a little valley and on the sides of the hills all around. Dad read in a article that there are over 600 sets of stairs in the city. There aren't so many bicycles here because it is too hilly. Most of the streets are very steep and narrow and winding. I'm glad Dad is doing all the driving. Some of the streets would be pretty wide if they didn't have streetcar or train tracks down the middle. They are everywhere and with the trains and buses they can get you pretty much everywhere you need to go.
Tonight we went back over to the area that the Blodgetts lived in. There were people everywhere, shopping, waiting for buses, eating out in the little cafes and restaurants. There were lots of Turkish Muslims, women with their heads covered,some pushing strollers with babies. I think there are some Italians and even some Greeks as well. Dad dropped me off at a little outdoor market area while he went to park the car. As I was looking at some fruit, the proprietor asked me a question- in German of course. It was sink or swim. I asked him in German if he spoke English and he said no. So I asked him how much the watermelon was- in German, mind you. I understood his answer, but I didn't know how to ask the next question. So I just looked around and finally Dad got there. I even went into the banhof yesterday by myself while Dad waited in the car. We needed some cash out of the cash machine and that was a little scary for me. But I think I am getting less apprehensive about being by myself for a few minutes. I am realizing that I can communicate a little bit in German or a mix of English and German. Most of the Institute kids speak English, but a lot of the shop keepers are foreigners and they may speak German but no English.
Well, I haven't told you about checking out the missionaries apartments. We have 5 apartments that we are to keep track of and visit every 6 weeks, hopefully before transfer day. We have done three this week. It has made me even more grateful for our nice apartment. The mission is trying to update the apartments a little bit. Some of these places have been lived in by missionaries for over 30 years. Two of them don't have working ovens. There are a few other problems, but we are going to try to help facilitate getting some things fixed.
Stefan is on track for his baptism. We met with him and the missionaries again this week. After, he wanted to know about how to get online to do family history. He thought you had to have a member ID number to guest to the information online. I showed him how he could access a lot of things without a number and he was excited! I read him the scripture in Malachi about turning the hearts of the children to their fathers and explained that what he was feeling was a fulfillment of that prophecy. I think the Elders are going to tell him more about temple work this week.
Dad gave a pass-a-long card to the fellow that helped move our couch yesterday. Tonight a Muslim fellow who was sitting close to us as we ate at an outdoor fast food place asked what church we belonged to. Dad talked to him for 5 min or so and gave him a card as well. We are going to go back there next Friday and take Book of Mormon for him. He has a cousin who is a Jehovah Witness and he thought we might belong to that church. Anyway, we will try to find him again. His relative owns the "Doener" hole in the wall place where we were eating. I have to go now. It is after 10:00 and we are still at the institute. Tomorrow is Conference. We will be going to the stake center to watch some of the sessions.
Love to you all!
Mom and Dad
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