Author: Ann Laemmlen Lewis

This is our little Communication Department saying goodbye to our BYU intern, Scott Young (and his wife, Kassidy).  Scott has been working with us this semester.  We wish him well!

We also had a farewell luncheon with Dave and Kathi Irving, who will be leaving us next week.  They’ve been here almost 2 years.  We’ve really enjoyed having lunch with them every day.  It’s hard to see them go.

This afternoon we heard from some of our partners–translation, welfare and self-reliance and family history.  We work together and support each other.

We ended our seminar with a Sacrament Meeting service, which was a very nice way to end this Sabbath day.  These wonderful volunteers from 14 different countries carry a heavy load, working with their committees, large and small.  Our work is all the same:  to bring the Church out of obscurity and to bring others to Jesus Christ.  What could be better?

In the last several months, we’ve been in the process of bringing the Communication Department and the Publishing Services Department together into one (this is happening in all of the global Areas).  Rita Daniels is the new head of this department.  Our seminar this weekend was created to introduce the changes and the vision for the future to all of our NCDs.

We asked each NCD to bring a holiday treat from their country.  It was a fun way to share our different cultures!

This evening we all went to downtown Frankfurt to enjoy a dinner cruise on the Main River.  Frankfurt is beautiful at night.

For the last several weeks, we have been preparing for our annual NCD Seminar here at the Area Offices.  It’s a 3 day event where all of our country directors come in from their European countries to be together for training and instruction.  This year the work of planning the seminar fell to the missionaries serving here, us and the Feinauers.

We’ve prepared the agendas, the seminar topics, the food, transport, lodging and all the logistics.   John has a spreadsheet for every aspect of the seminar and the 14 directors flying and traveling to Frankfurt to join us.  This week we’ve worked with caterers and have picked up food, snacks and gifts (John in the photo above with his favorite Tony’s chocolate bar).

This afternoon the flights came in and we greeting everyone here with lunch, then a tour of this new office building.

This afternoon we set up our meeting room for tomorrow.

Then we all went to the Frankfurt Temple and enjoyed a session together there with dinner afterwards at Cafe Klatsch.  Two more NCDs arrive in the morning.  Here are a few of us:

After visiting the Marksburg Castle up on the mountain top, we wanted to wander in the town below, so we went back to our cars and drove into town. The parking was in a strip along the road next to the river. There was a beautiful walking area along the river, like a promenade with trees and some benches. We felt like we were the only ones there.

Here you can see how the town is laid out along the Rhine River:

This is another town that has flooded many times during the centuries.

We walked along the old streets looking for a place to eat some lunch. It was after 2:00 p.m. and we were all hungry.  The problem was not a soul was in sight and nothing was open.  After a lot of wandering through the small town, we finally found a bakery with a cafe that was open and a Döner shop.

There were plenty of interesting details to notice here.  Some, really beautiful.

This home had a lovely garden hanging from stockings!

This home had an incredible entryway.

And it had a tree full of hanging shoes!

Views of the castle between each narrow passage:

Many homes here and sayings painted on them.  I’ll add translations below for some of them.

Eat and drink!
With a full stomach every evil is easier to bear.

This house is mine although not mine, I go out, you come in. And who will the last be?

Anyone who wants to complain about this house now, Let him just stand still for a bit and think freely in his heart whether his home would be better.

Anyone who has money and is stupid buys an old house and remodels it!

There were a couple of rooms in the Marksburg Castle with interesting displays of the weaponry and armour used  through the centuries.

The highlight of this part of the castle was the Armoury which is home to the “Gimbel Collection,” a display of twelve life-sized figurines from 1880 which demonstrates the changes made to armour and weaponry from ancient to early modern times.  The armour on display consists of extremely detailed replicas as well as original pieces.