If you want 60+ fabulous instant friends, come to Frankfurt! We all get together every other week or so for some sort of activity or potluck dinner. Often we are welcoming someone new or sending someone home. Tonight we said good bye to the Andruses and the #1 Lewises. Then we welcomed the Woods and the Conlins. We also welcomed the Stokers and Nelsons who recently arrived.
And we enjoyed a wonderful spread of food–enough to feed an army!
In the pic below, the Andruses are the 2 in the blue shirt and green sweater. Here are Elder Andrus’s departing poem for the rest of us:
LEAVING GERMANY
By Mark Andrus (October 2023)
After a year and a half in Germany, you’d think perhaps we’d learn,
That once you’ve stayed awhile, somehow your heart begins to turn.
You begin to understand the folks who do things different than you do;
You find they do some things better than the customs you once knew.
Of course I don’t mean all is better — some is, and some, not so much;
We hold onto the good and let the bad slide out of touch.
Thinking back on life in Germany and reflecting how it’s been,
Some things I will miss very much; others, I’ll leave behind and grin.
For example, putting coins in the handle of a grocery cart.
Whoever thought of doing that must be some clever sort of smart.
But don’t get me wrong, although it’s cute, and surely not a sin,
I won’t be missing any sleep if I don’t do that again.
I know I’ll miss the Wienerschnitzel and the Jägerschnitzel, too;
And potatoes cooked up sixteen ways, like Cafe Klatsch can do;
I’ve loved every brat and wurst I ate from the moment that I bit them,
Although, you’d think German engineers could make a bun that fit them.
I’ll miss the Christmas markets and the magic in the air,
With Christmas music playing, it’s like an answer to a prayer;
And all the different flavors of roasted almond that they make,
The little knick-knacks that they sell, and that lovely funnel cake.
I won’t miss sorting garbage, or hot and humid summer days,
I won’t miss looking for a parking space, or the pigeons or the jays.
I might miss our tiny little kitchen and the way it’s brought us close,
But not the “no disposal” plan, and saving all that’s gross.
I will miss the river cruises and visiting the castles,
But not the an- and ab-meldungs, and all the visa hassles.
I’ll miss prayers in different languages, and Book of Mormon class,
And the cherry jam and strawberries, and – okay, even white asparagus.
I’ll miss getting Ritter Sport bars for a Euro-fifty each,
But not trying to do a Power Point when it’s our turn again to teach.
I’ve loved eating ice cream bars almost every time I’d see one,
And I even liked the zone leaders, especially since I didn’t have to be one.
I’ll miss the group Zoom calls and Team meetings — but not for long;
I’ll miss Microsoft and Outlook — wait — no I won’t; no, I was wrong.
I’ll miss “Keep right, keep left, turn right, now left” in traffic jams at night;
Not really – but I’d like to keep the pretty navigator on my right.
I won’t miss paying for restrooms, nor the lack of chocolate chips;
But I will miss all the bakeries, and all the weekend trips.
I won’t miss tiny elevators that say they hold eleven,
When we’re all crammed in hip-to-hip with less than six or seven.
I won’t miss fretting late at night because a legal matter’s pending;
Nor dozing off the next night before the murder mystery’s ending.
I think that notarizing documents and apostilling is sublime,
But please forgive me if I don’t ever do it one more time.
I’ll miss walks along the river bank and riding on the train;
I’ll miss all the greenery, but not the constant threat of rain.
I’ll miss apfelsaft and traubensaft and other juices, too;
Eating outside at restaurants and the Frankfurt skyline view.
I’ll miss paying for plain water when we go for steak or fancy pie;
And if you believe what I just said, I know a bridge you’ll want to buy.
I’ll miss our dear apartment out in Rödelheim, I think;
And I’ll miss the constant challenge of the work I do – wink, wink.
I won’t miss driving i30 Hyundai cars along the narrow streets,
I will miss pickle ball and FHEs and eating up the treats.
I won’t miss the clothes washer in the kitchen and doing laundry retro,
But I’ll sort of miss the Rewe, Aldi, Lidl, and the Metro.
What I’m sure I’ll miss the most, though, are the people that I know:
The Church employees that I work with, whom I see go to and fro;
The members in our ward who come from everywhere that you might probe,
Including fifty countries from all across the globe.
And senior missionaries, people who have really learned to care,
The ones who, by all rights, should be sitting in a rocking chair;
They don’t recognize how old they are, and they don’t know how to quit,
Their eyes are dim, their hearts are soft, but their souls are made of grit.
I won’t miss their frequent bathroom stops, nor their constant need for eats;
I won’t miss them prattling on about their grandkids’ latest feats.
But I’ll miss the fire in their eyes when they testify of God above
And I’ll miss the way they back it up with their frequent acts of love.
I suppose it won’t really matter, when our mission here is done,
If we miss this or don’t miss that, or even whether we had fun.
We’ll mostly want to be with those with whom we laughed and cried;
With that in mind, we’ll see you at the big reunion on the other side.
These are some of the finest people on this earth. They’ve given up a lot to be here now. They miss their children and grandchildren, but realize there are some things we do that show that love more than words and hugs. These good people are Examples. And I love them.
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 