2 Devotionals in 2 Countries with 1 Apostle within 24 hours

We finished our 12 day training trip and are now happily back in Frankfurt, Germany.  We were able to participate in a workforce devotional with Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, give our own devotional farewell talks, meet with 4 returned missionaries, and greet our replacements, Elder and Sister Carroll.  They arrived on Friday and we took them to visit some old Roman ruins with other senior couples on Saturday.

Watching Elder Ballard from our Hotel in Spain

We finished our last blog with our Sunday meetings in Granada, Spain.  After those meetings we drove back to Seville with Elder and Sister Rasmussen.  Along the way we stopped to stretch our legs at an old convent and church in Estepa, Spain.  We see many of these little towns along the way.  For the most part they are cities of almost all white buildings, picturesquely positioned along the way.   We saw this church and convent on the top of a hill above the city.  It made for a few nice photos:

On the top of the hill by a "white" city

Entrance to the monastery and convent of Santa Clara, established in 1599

In front of some of these 400+ year old buildings

Sister Rueckert with Elder and Sister Rasmussen near the Church

Looking over the city from above

Panorama view of the city below

As we drove to Seville, we recognized that this was probably our last hot weather for the next six months.  In Seville, it gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer.  This week, it has been in the 90s.

From our cell phone weather report on Sunday, October 15

We arrived back in Seville, just in time to get into our hotel, settle down, and enjoy a fireside that was being transmitted all over Europe.  This was originating in Frankfurt, where Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder L. Whitney Clayton were conducting an "Area Review" for the Europe Area.  This fireside was being transmitted to the meeting houses throughout Europe in the language of each country.  We were able to access a link to the English feed and were able to watch this devotional from the comfort of our hotel room.

Watching the devotional on the end of our bed in our hotel

Meeting was held in the Friedrichsdorf Stake Center at the side of the Frankfurt Temple

It was special for us to watch our leaders and many of our friends who were participating in this devotional in Germany.  We thought that the photo above was quite unique.  It captured the Angel Moroni statue from the temple, even though the majority of the temple is under a major remodel.

The devotional had both counselors of the Area Presidency with their wives speaking.  Elder Clayton also spoke with his wife. 

Elder Massimo De Feo (2nd Counselor) and his wife

Elder Gary B. Sabin (1st Counselor) and his wife

Elder L. Whitney Clayton and his wife

All the talks were inspirational.  We were taught to read the Book of Mormon, to forgive others and to Honor the Sabbath Day.  As we listened we had special promptings from the Holy Ghost of specific things to do in our own lives.  Of course the last speaker was Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve.  Elder Ballard told us that we are in danger of too much apathy within the Church.  He said that we get so busy that we don't sit and feel the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We encouraged us to find time to be still and know that "I am God".  He said that we must find quiet time, either earlier or later in the day.

He then shared a few personal miracles in his life, including when he was visiting Ethiopia in 1984 where a sever drought and famine was occurring.  While there, in a small meeting with Elder Ballard, Brother Glen Pace (before being called as a General Authority) and one other member in the country, Brother Hadlock.  They took the sacrament and then had a small testimony meeting.  Elder Ballard then felt that he was to bless Ethiopia.  He pronounced the blessing in these words, "Father in Heaven we are the only holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood in Ethiopia . . . Father make it rain for these people".  This occurred at 1:00 pm.  Elder Ballard prayed to the Lord to answer his blessing.  At 3:00 pm the rain came to this famine land.  Every day that they were in Ethiopia it rained.

Elder Ballard told us that miracles happen.  We must pray for miracles.  We must act for miracles and not be afraid if others mock us.  Miracles begin on our knees, when we pray and commit to do God's will.  The missionaries in Europe need our prayers and miracles.

Ha asked us, "Do you love the Lord?  How much do you love the Lord?  . . . Help bring souls to him on the conditions of repentance.  . . . Take advantage of the quite times."

We certainly felt an overwhelming Spirit as he spoke.  We know that he is correct.  God is a God of miracles and we can access his Spirit so much better as we ponder and contemplate in quiet times each day.

After the meeting we watched the video as he left the meeting and shook hands with several people, including our special friend and fellow missionary Sister Proctor (see photo below)

Elder Ballard shaking hands with Sister Proctor

After the meeting we spent another hour with Elder and Sister Rasmussen, finishing up our training with them.  The next morning they took us to the airport at 5:00 am, where we started our trip home.  We changed planes in Madrid, Spain and arrived in Frankfurt just after noon.  After we got our bags and a taxi home, we arrived just in time to join a special workforce and senior missionary devotional with Elder Ballard and Elder Clayton on the Monday at 1:30.

We arrived only a half hour before the meeting would begin.  Sister Rueckert went to find us a place while I took our luggage to our apartment.  She found us a seat on the front row on the side of the chapel.

Our seat for the second devotional with Elder Ballard

He walked right past us as he came in and delivered another powerful message.   Again, he asked us to find someone in our midst that we could share the gospel with.  He challenged all to share their testimony with at least one non member or less active before Christmas.

View of Elder Ballard from our front row seats

As the devotional finished, he left where he came in and shook our hands on the way out.  This was one more tender mercy for Sister Rueckert and me.

By this time, we had only a few hours before we were to speak in our monthly devotional with the senior missionaries.  This was to be our "farewell" message to the other missionaries, since it was the last devotional before we go home.  Sister Rueckert had come up with a few ideas to show on a Powerpoint slide.  We worked to find the needed photos and had it completed by 10 minutes before our devotional.  We rushed over and had the privilege to collect our thoughts while Elder and Sister Proctor, our zone leaders, shared their final testimony.  They will be going home this coming Monday morning

We were then able to share a few of our experiences and our witness that we are doing the work of the Lord.  We have learned that this is His Work and that "It is My purpose to provide for My Saints for all things are mine".  We have seen this over and over on our mission and have found that this clearly includes how he provides for his missionaries in all that we do.  We felt the strong witness of the Holy Ghost, confirming our words to our dear friends.

The rest of the week, we have worked to follow up on many items from our recent trip.  We also prepared for our transitio and for our seminar this coming week in Paris, France.  We know there is much to do, but we have a perfect peace that we will receive the help that we need from our Heavenly Father as long as we do all within our power and abilities.

Let us just share one other sweet experience that we had this week.  While in Granada, last week, we talked to an individual who had a PEF loan.  He told us about his daughter who is going to school in Innsbruck, Austria.   As part of our follow-up, we got her contact information from her father.  He asked us to reach out personally to her, since she is struggling to be active in her new environment.  We were able to make a call to her but no one answered.  However, she called back and we had a wonderful conversation.  We invited her to participate in the Self-Reliance Devotional that we will hold in Innsbruck, Austria in just a few weeks.   This is just one more example of the way that the Lord intervenes in the work that we do to strengthen and bless his children everywhere.

On Tuesday night we had our 8th lesson with the recently returned missionaries in our ward.  Two have already gone away to school, but we still have four meeting with us.  We love these young men and women and are inspired and touched as they try to return to their temporal needs (school, education, etc.) and still maintain the spirit of their mission.  It is fun as they have served all over, including Russia, the Caribbean islands, France and Boise, Idaho.

Our four returned missionaries  Perry, Weber, Erica and Amy

Wednesday we attended our normal Book of Mormon class.  This week it was facilitated by Elder Rich and we covered 2 Nephi 7-10.  This was an amazing class.  Most of the emphasis was on 2 Nephi chapter 9, one of the best chapters ever on the atonement of Jesus Christ.   The Holy Ghost was so strong and we received witness after witness of our Savior during this lesson.  As the class finished, Elder Rich shared a quote from one of the recent talks by our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  It was perfect for the lesson and perfect advice for all of us.  It says:

“As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice. That this may ever be so is my heartfelt and humble prayer."

We were able to get our Bishop to sign the graduation certificates from Self-Reliance Classes for E/S Proctor. They will be going home before we present these on October 29.  Once again, they are dear friends and have been so busy serving others as our Zone Leaders besides their own missionary assignment with the Publishing Service Department.

Elder and Sister Proctor

Even though we are finishing up our mission, we still have strong desires to improve our German language.  This week we reached a few new milestones.  Sister Rueckert is now"60% fluent" according to Duolingo.

Elder Rueckert just completed his 19th level of Rosetta Stone.  One more to complete before we return home.

Part of our preparations included cleaning our office to turn it over to the new missionary couple.  We finished that on Thursday.  On Friday, we went to the airport to pick up Elder and Sister Carroll.  We missed our opportunity to take a picture of Sister Carroll who had arrived in a wheel chair.  She had a bout of food poisoning on the plane coming over, something she ate in the Seattle airport during the connection.

We finally got them to Frankfurt and checked into a hotel. They will stay there until Monday morning, when they will move into the apartment that E/S Proctor are vacating when they return home.  We did get this photo of them and their luggage in the hall of the hotel.  By this time, Sister Carroll was starting to feel a little better.

As with all new missionaries, the goal is to keep the missionaries awake as long as possible so that they go to bed in the evening and begin the jet lag adjustment.  For the Carrolls, it is especially unique since they went from Australia to the U.S. for the MTC and then back to Germany for their mission.  We don't know what clock their bodies are on.

We were able to feed them lunch in our apartment and hold our regularly scheduled Zoom meeting with E/S Kimball in Spain.  They then met a few other missionary couples and employees at the office and then went out to dinner with E/S Proctor that evening.

The next morning we took them to a senior missionary activity at a nearby Roman Fort.  We had visited this fort a year ago, but this time we had an English speaking guide and learned much more.  The weather remained fair, it didn't rain until we finished.  This fort was in place in the second and third centuries AD.  The foundations and many artifacts had been subsequently discovered and it was reconstructed (as only the Germans can do) 100 years ago.  In the tour we learned a lot of new information about the Roman way of life and the purpose of this fort.

In Front of the Fort

Tour group within the fort

Our guide showing some old artifacts in their "temple"

Some of the old chains found on site

One of several statues that have been discovered

Afterwards we enjoyed a luncheon together at the nearby restaurant.  We probably had over 20 missionaries participating, either from the Europe Area or the Frankfurt mission

A few additional notes:

We heard form our Area Manager, Thomas King, who remained in Granada to complete the accelerated job search today (Saturday).  He told us that 6 of the 27 individuals at the previous session had been able to find jobs their very first week. We anticipate that most the others will find work in the near future.  Most of these individuals have been out of work for years.

Once again, we see that the Lord "will provide for My saints, for all things are mine.  But it must needs be done in my own way".

We also were able to receive the group photo from our last Senior Missionary Zone meeting last month.  This photo not only includes the Europe Area senior missionaries, but also our complete Area Presidency with their wives.   Four of these couples have already returned home in this past month, with several others of us to follow.  We love each of them and WE LOVE OUR MISSION!