Christmas

Here we are at Christmas Breakfast at the Readings. With their four children, her mother, son Liam's friend Nadine, two Elders, two American girls and us, we were a crowd. I think we went through at least 100 pancakes and a whole bottle of maple syrup! Brother and Sister Reading must still have been in the kitchen when I took the picture.

Yes, they actually light candles on the Christmas tree!

And then they add sparklers, like we have on the Fourth of July! No-one caught on fire (although we had two "warm calls"). And the house didn't burn down!

What Missionaries Do

Here is our display at the "Ausstellung." You can see the blue tablecloth we got at Migros. Can you see the sign for the Christmas Market in the background? It was a great location, and the Elders had a good day there. There were so many people there, it was nearly impossible to get a picture without a person walking by. My apologies to this woman.

Here is Elder Middleton at "work." These Elders are fearless, as they search for those who are searching. They are doing a wonderful work.

More "Fairy Tale" Snow

The snow had fallen gently through the night. It was a wet snow, and since there was no wind, it clung to every surface. When daylight came, the effect was magical. The picture doesn't really do it justice. Every picket on the fence was outlined, as was every branch--even the wires!

Home Sweet Home Part 2

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Here's my companion, just as it is beginning to snow. Snow here is "fairy tale" snow. It just gently drifts down, in big flakes or small, and quietly covers everything.

Dressed for the cold

Here I am, ready for the snow and cold. A hat really makes a difference! And next time, I will wear my boots, as well!

Home Sweet Home

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Our Mission President and his wife

We managed to get the "standard missionary" picture with President Matern and his wife only by cornering them at Zone Conference in Interlaken. They are from North Germany. He speaks German very fast! He is a great teacher, and so is she. They are both entertaining, and incredibly hard-working.

Trip to the Mission Home

Here is the little train that takes you to the Mission Home. It is actually coming down the hill to pick us up and take us home. Urban planning in Switzerland is very different. There are woods in the middle of town. There can be sheep grazing near a busy street. Where we are, the apartment buildings are so close and tall that the winter sun is blocked out several hours a day for the lower floors.

First snow

Four days after we moved, it snowed! We were really enjoying our geraniums on our balcony. (Our apartment is on the second floor) I don't know how much longer they will last.

Our balcony and windows face south, which is really nice in the winter. I took this picture from inside, which is the place to be when it is snowing! Unless you have plans to go to Thun to get cleaning products (which we did). (Why? Because I really liked what was there and didn't know where to find it in Bern.)

I'm glad we aren't driving here--it's slippery enough walking!

Thanksgiving

We actually moved from Thun to our missionary apartment on Thanksgiving day (it's not a holiday here). Two days later, one of the students wanted to do a Thanksgiving dinner for the missionaries, but since the room she rents only has a hot plate, I volunteered our 4'x6' kitchen for her to use. Here we are in the living/dining room of our apartment. The only other room (other than a 4'x6' bathroom) is the bedroom. In Bern, $1100/month gets you an apartment that's a little under 400 sq. ft. But it has everything we need, and is directly across the street from the Center, so our commute is about 3 minutes! After our stay in Thun, with the long travel times, we are really happy to be here!

Our first "home"

This is the front of our "home" in Thun for our first 12 days in Switzerland. (Our apartment is a little over half of the upstairs.) While we traveled every day to Bern, we were able to train alongside the Grassli's, the couple we were replacing. It was such a blessing to be able to be with them and work with them. There is so much to know and do, and with our fatigued and jet-lagged brains, we didn't get it all. But what we did get was really a big help. We staff the "Center for Young Adults" Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays, we also prepare a meal for about 18 students. It is served just before class for those who come directly from school and work. There are about 45 young people, and learning all their names has been daunting. Sundays, we visit the different wards that the young people come from. And there are meetings and many unscheduled things that come up so that we are always busy!

Welcome to Switzerland

This view from our apartment in Thun made the trip, with all its weighing and packing, the baggage charges, the jet lag, the unknown that lay ahead--all was worthwhile.

We had a two hour commute each way to our assignment in Bern, which meant getting up at 5:30 or 6AM most mornings, and some nights we didn't get home until 11 or 12. But, hey, we made it to Switzerland!!!

Time to say "Good-bye"

All too soon, our week with Sandra and Tom came to an end, and they headed out for Africa. All couples were instructed to contact their mission president before leaving. Sandra and Tom called--and were told the phone was disconnected. They called the missionaries--and were told the phone was disconnected. They e-mailed to an address they had successfully used in the past--no answer. They still got on the plane and headed out for a two-day trip to Los Angeles, London, and Nairobi, not knowing what they would find there. (Fortunately, they were met at the airport by someone. But would you have had the faith to go!)

We had three more days of training for our assignment working with the young people at the Institute in Switzerland. Most of it was teacher-training, and it was simply excellent. I will never teach the same way again!

Where in the world are you going?

It was great fun to be at the MTC with Sandra (Sue's sister) and Tom (Steve's brother)(who are married to each other, for those who didn't know). When we would introduce ourselves, there would always be surprised looks. Two Sisters Fox--and two Elders Fox. Here we are at the famous "World Wall," pointing to the countries where we would be serving. Sandra and Tom are serving in Kenya, Africa.

At the MTC

We were so busy, we hardly had time to breathe! When we did have a minute to catch our breath, this was the view out our window.

There was so much to learn. They told us everything once, with the hope that when we needed it, we could remember it. We practiced teaching lessons to volunteers, and got briefed on health issues and safety and security. We had presentations on working with less-active members, as well as other wonderful talks and firesides. Over meals, we got to know the other missionary couples in our group.

Their stories were amazing. They made our "sacrifice" to go seem like nothing. For example, here is one couple. He is 60, and she is in her mid-50's. In the last year, all four of their parents died, their dog died, and his computer consulting business failed. So they sold their home, and are headed to Guam on their mission. Another couple was scheduled to report to the MTC Oct. 5, but the doctors found a growth on his knee. It was malignant, they took it and a bunch of other stuff and gave him an artificial knee. He was on crutches when they came--they are going to Poland. We met a couple in the hallway, carrying a huge box. "What is it?" "Six months supply of insulin and syringes. We'll need two more like it. It will cost us a fortune to get it there, but we have to do it." "Where are you going?" "Mongolia."

We also met several "live-at-home" missionary couples who came to the MTC for training, and then would serve their missions while living at home. Some would be working on re-activation, one couple would be working in the membership records office, tracing lost records. One couple attended with the sister in a wheelchair. My conclusion--you don't need money or health to serve a mission. You need faith.

At the MTC

Our room had a desk we seldom used.

We reported to the MTC in Provo on Monday morning, November 2. They were very organized, sent us here and there, talked to us here and there. We were totally confused! We finally got to our room,which was an oasis for the 11 days we were there. We had classes from 8-12 and 1-5, and then German tutoring from 6-8, so we were hardly ever here.