tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70931890102195741812024-03-13T07:49:04.184-07:00Elder and Sister CravenElder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-70564667484344678122014-02-12T19:11:00.004-08:002014-02-12T19:11:41.952-08:00AUF WIEDERSEHEN GERMANY, HALLO EZRA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our farewell lunch with our dear team members.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-it7V34mP9Ic/UvqwPrtiLTI/AAAAAAAACXo/NieZRRItJbg/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-it7V34mP9Ic/UvqwPrtiLTI/AAAAAAAACXo/NieZRRItJbg/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>On January 17, 2014, we winged our way back across the ocean to reunite with loved ones and pick up our civilian life again. It was a joyous reunion at the airport and then a trip to the hospital to meet our newest grandson, Ezra James Busath, born the night before to Natalie and Rich. We have been busy bonding with the grand kids, catching up with old friends and our new missionary friends that preceded us home. Change can be the pits though. We are attending a new ward in Midway, searching for stuff among our boxes of too much stuff and praying for meaningful purpose in this next chapter in our lives.<br />
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Sister Janna and brother Paul with Elaine. Gordon in the background.<br />
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Three generations of beautiful girls<br />
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Maddie waited for us!<br />
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Pain au Chocolate from Paul's boulangerie in Paris (our short layover point)<br />
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Happy reunion</div>
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Shy children getting to know their grandpa again,<br />
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Gummi bear bribes to break the ice.<br />
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Does it get any better than this?<br />
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Flying in the airport with Maddie.<br />
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Some of the boys.<br />
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House warming surprise.<br />
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Andy spent hours making these semi-anatomically correct figures of each family member. Notice the missionary tags on Nana and Tada and the upturned ponytail on Maddie, just to name a few of the accurate replications.<br />
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Ezra James wins the race to Salt Lake. What a sweet and handsome boy!</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-28356378852375342872014-01-12T04:44:00.000-08:002014-01-12T04:44:34.886-08:00ALLES GUTE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zqJmxSq0GfA/UtJqsT1NfuI/AAAAAAAACUw/PTU0xyaAaHg/s1600/New+Year+2014+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zqJmxSq0GfA/UtJqsT1NfuI/AAAAAAAACUw/PTU0xyaAaHg/s1600/New+Year+2014+027.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a>As we approach the end of our service, this graffiti pretty much sums up how we are feeling these days.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wE2LbxvNC4/UtJq1cbQ6jI/AAAAAAAACVA/KqTCXof6ICI/s1600/New+Year+2014+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_wE2LbxvNC4/UtJq1cbQ6jI/AAAAAAAACVA/KqTCXof6ICI/s1600/New+Year+2014+031.JPG" height="640" width="427" /></a>Every rock and tree, even many cobble stones have a soft cast of green from the ubiquitous moss that grows so well in the moist climate.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAatuvo6t34/UtJq1bzh5TI/AAAAAAAACU8/BlDKt-_g3GM/s1600/New+Year+2014+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gAatuvo6t34/UtJq1bzh5TI/AAAAAAAACU8/BlDKt-_g3GM/s1600/New+Year+2014+032.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a>Nature is the greatest artist and she gets help from the frequent rain and fog. Even the tree branches are covered in green.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkblbCUarhM/UtJq1YaaDKI/AAAAAAAACU4/Wd0v5MqMMFE/s1600/New+Year+2014+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkblbCUarhM/UtJq1YaaDKI/AAAAAAAACU4/Wd0v5MqMMFE/s1600/New+Year+2014+037.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a>We would like to know why their winter crops don't freeze and die off when the frost hits. These fields seem to do just fine.</div>
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Nice to spend our last Saturday attending the baptism of super sharp young man named Romeo Alaysin. He is working in Frankfurt but home is California. He encountered the missionaries on the street and is now a fresh new enthusiastic member with a cute German return missionary girlfriend. How is that for fellowshipping? PS He found the Church before the girl - double bonus!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-57lc89Jy6bs/UtJq_mXG18I/AAAAAAAACVY/rtw0TMrQCQs/s1600/New+Year+2014+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-57lc89Jy6bs/UtJq_mXG18I/AAAAAAAACVY/rtw0TMrQCQs/s1600/New+Year+2014+065.JPG" height="640" width="428" /></a>We will miss our miniature Christus that greeted us each day as we returned home to the apartment. Martin laid this heart right at the Savior's feet which is just what we have tried to do while here.</div>
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Every morning our first duty is to read the Daily Security Report put out by the Church. It warns of potential dangerous locations around the world. In case you missed this Church Security Bulletin below warning of large and unruly crowds expected at the Salt Airport next Friday:</div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-65603868483063380382014-01-05T10:51:00.003-08:002014-01-05T10:51:24.899-08:00HAPPY NEW YEAR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B9q3iAJZ6M8/UsmZ7oKddQI/AAAAAAAACSc/0O-fUmNee_Y/s1600/New+Year+2014+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">On New Year's day we took a walk down memory lane by going back to our old apartment in the country about 10 km from Frankfurt to walk in the fields and forests again. We had forgotten how quiet and peaceful it is and how the people we meet on the pathways are more friendly. We are always amazed that the farmers can keep their fields green all through the winter, or until the snow flies. ( I hope Martin is hiding something inside his jacket)</a></div>
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We celebrated New Year's Eve with five other senior couples at our apartment. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PWcJjAaDSGE/UsmZ8E0VOkI/AAAAAAAACSg/KG8CxMjLX_g/s1600/New+Year+2014+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PWcJjAaDSGE/UsmZ8E0VOkI/AAAAAAAACSg/KG8CxMjLX_g/s320/New+Year+2014+040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We played fun team games from nine until midnight, when all heck breaks lose in the form of an hour long barrage of fireworks in the city 360 degrees in every direction. You would not believe it unless you saw it.<br />
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Group charades?</div>
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Kimballs, Eyres, Gublers, Swifts, Madsens and us with our grocery store grape juice.</div>
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Need a faster shutter at night. They were shooting up rockets in the street below us and since we are on the seventh floor. They were exploding right at eye level on our balcony. These fireworks are all from private individuals on the streets - no government money involved.<br />
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On the second we attended a birthday bash for our wonderful missionary helper, Gabi Harth. She helps us all register with the government and get our drivers licenses. So fun to join her German family for great food, laughter and grandchildren in this faithful sister's home.<br />
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Martin Luther passed through this portal on his way into Worms for the Diet of Worms circa 1520, when he was called to defend or recant his departure from the Catholic catechism. He said he would if they could prove him wrong with the Bible. They couldn't.</div>
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Who loves the Virgin Mary more than candle makers?</div>
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This cardinal was standing in the courtyard so Martin took the opportunity to get a little blessing.<br />
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The Jewish cemetery is one of the highlights of a trip to Worms. During medieval times the city was considered one of the Jewish intellectual centers of Europe. The cemetery has headstones as old as 10th century. Most recent dates were early 1900s. These two graves were prominent scholars who still have a following. (Notes and stones on top of the markers.)<br />
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Though Martin Luther only spent 10 days here defending himself. These 10 days changed the world. His statue here is surrounded by those of other reformist thinkers of the era.</div>
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Ha, ha. This is a look up from the garden at the underside of the toilet at the Marksburg castle. We were told they only used it in bad weather. Seems it was also good to be king in the days before plumbing. Seriously these castles seem so stark and cold the peasants in town had to be more comfortable and didn't have to walk up the hill to get home every night.<br />
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We had a treat on Saturday when Jan Steenblick and his friend Reet, came to visit us from Borne, Netherlands. He was our tour guide in the Netherlands when Hollis and Joan came to visit. We were happy to show them around Frankfurt and enjoyed getting to know each other better. We talked about the blessings of temple marriage as they have both recently lost spouses and we will send Reet a Book of Mormon. Jan has been through the Hague Temple at its Open House.<br />
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Again we happen across a real and true princess. This time at the decorated fountain in front of the Old Opera House in downtown Frankfurt. Can't believe our good luck!</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-68871346738777450612013-12-29T08:27:00.002-08:002013-12-29T08:27:25.219-08:00AND SO IT IS CHRISTMAS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Always hard to be away from home at Christmas time. We were glad Spence and Xan found family to be with in the East. Though we missed being with our loved ones, we received the second best thing as each of children shared their testimonies with us, which is the greatest gift any parent could desire.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve with convert Huifeng Li and fellow missionaries the Harrisons and Smiths.</td></tr>
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We tried as best we could to replicate the Craven family Christmas Eve traditions. We invited some senior missionaries and Hiufeng Li, a recent convert to Elaine's clam chowder dinner. We took turns sharing what we were most thankful for this past year and then lit the candle fastened to our plate. We had a meager "talent show" afterward with songs and stories and then sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had some birthday cake. Li thought that was pretty strange, but joined in, singing in his native tongue.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling very loved as loved ones remembered us far away at Christmas.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Christmas day was a brunch with the area missionaries at the ward and then catching up with our kids and their families as they arose on Christmas morning 8 hours later.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former South German Missionaries Elders Kimball and Pferdner who commented on the great influence President Fetzer had in their lives. The woman in the background is a member here from Eagle Mountain Utah with her husband and 2 children for the skeleton world cup competitions in Europe then they go straight on to the Olympics in February (She would have to crash to not qualify. She's fourth in the world right now. Watch for her in Russia, Noel Pace.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sunrise that made the downtown buildings look on fire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dear zone leaders who work tirelessly for all the senior missionaries here in Frankfurt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the youth center at the church look as much like home as possible for the Christmas Brunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food, food and more food</td></tr>
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The area office is effectively closed between December 23 and January 5th as all the employees take their final holiday of the year. The Wise Men don't make it to Jerusalem until Three Kings day on January 6th, so most Germans try to stay home until then as well. We go in the office to answer emails from our public affairs directors about preparing the 2014 plans and budgets which are due January 1st. We also finished editing and uploading 120 photos to the Norway Newsroom library from our trip to Oslo earlier this month. It has also been nice to have some quiet time to prepare our sacrament meeting talks for Dec 29 - speaking on subject of a "New Year and New Beginnings".</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-47306198558884502002013-12-22T04:31:00.001-08:002013-12-22T10:57:31.870-08:00FOURTH ADVENT OF CHRISTMAS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Saturday evening we rode rode the train with the Harrisons downtown to hear the St Petersburg Boys Choir. The high ceiling St Bartholomew's cathedral has perfect acoustics for their angelic voices. The Harrisons were mission presidents in Russia so Sister Harrison has the perfect coat for cold winter nights in Germany.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Petersburg Boys choir at St. Bartholomew's Cathedral in Frankfurt</td></tr>
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Today in Primary, Sister Craven organized the children to present the nativity story, complete with costumes and a manager. The children were very attentive and loved to each have a part in the story. Joseph is a blind boy so his staff was a very authentic prop. Well done, Sister Craven,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for the Primary Christmas Pageant</td></tr>
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If you are on PC, there is a video of the pageant below. If you are on an Apple it is blank here :(<br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-87816000202919578242013-12-15T10:02:00.001-08:002013-12-15T10:09:14.687-08:00BAD WIMPFEN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This week it was a birthday party for Sister Kagel and a goodbye party for Casmin Giles, our BYU intern, who returned home yesterday.<br />
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Again this year the area senior missionaries picked four families in our ward to do the "12 Days of Christmas" for this week. Elaine had the job of making assignments, collecting presents and delivering to all the families. She is a great organizer! We weren't in our Frankfurt Ward last week and everyone in primary today could not stop telling her how much she was missed as the music leader. She will be hard to replace.<br />
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This weekend's outing was an overnighter with 3 other couples to the Christmas Market in Bad Wimpfen and Heidelburg about 2 hours south of Frankfurt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The funnest part of the trip was dinner in the gasthaus in Bad Wimpfen where we spent the night, swaying, clapping, yodeling and singing with the dinner crowd who came to hear a real accordian, guitar oompa band play and sing for about three hours. We saw a bit of German culture that could not be replicated, but made us vow to meet up at Snowbird for Octoberfest in 2015 when everyone is home. We are here with Dan and Ann Eyre (auditors), Steve and Lorraine Swift(attorney), and Clyda and Mike Harrison (real estate)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">World's largest candle powered Christmas pyramid</span></td></tr>
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Our missionary activity this week was to go with one of our YSA kids, Raymond Kistos from the Republic of the Congo to visit a less active YSA and invite him to the First Presidency Christmas devotional. Bienvenu was a French speaker and so he and Raymond could converse en Francais. We let him know he was loved and missed and offered to pick him up, but did not see success today.</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-71891943302451933562013-12-10T11:07:00.001-08:002013-12-10T11:07:48.445-08:00NANOOK OF THE NORTH<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the highlights of this last week had to be Elaine's mini-choir singing for our area Christmas devotional. We sang an arrangement of "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" with a lovely piano accompaniment by Elder Harrison and a flute obligato by Sister Kearon, our area presidency counselor's wife. Front row Sisters Harrison, Craven, Ezard and Wing. Back row Elders Craven, (sister) Stay, Stay and Wing. Entertainment for the dinner following were five talent acts put on by the employees in a Germany's Got Talent show. We were amazed they actually voted and awarded places from 1st clear to 5th. Wonder if anyone will volunteer next year.<br />
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The highest (and coincidentally the lowest) light of the week was our weekend Public Affairs assignment in Oslo, Norway. Highest light for the marvelous experience and lowest light for how low in the sky the sun shines there this time of year and how short a time it shines when it finally breaks the horizon. Our assignment was to take pictures for the Norway Newsroom and to take pictures and write a article to report on the Church's popular community Christmas concert celebration. (see article below)<br />
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Brother Oystein Amundsen hosted us for tour of Oslo on Saturday, Next to the ward house is a memorial to a man who operated a green house and trucking business here during the Nazi occupation. What he really was doing was smuggling out Jews and others wanted by the Nazis. He would hide them in the green house and truck them out to Sweden in the night - until he was caught and executed in 1944 at age 38. Interesting they chose the Old Testament symbol of the Melchezidek Priesthood for the shape of the monument.<br />
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Norway is home to only about 4.5 million persons, - 600,000 in Oslo. The city is nestled down at the bottom of the mountains next to a beautiful fjord. The country is rich from oil and natural gas development in the North Sea, and the standard of living is high, but with that comes 20 minute cab rides that cost $200 and chocolate bars for $6.<br />
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Elaine loved the ski jump on the hilltop above the town. No snow here today though, just absolutely frigid temps and a breeze that cut right though. The big jumping competition was going on in Lillehammer further north.<br />
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This is the famous Opera House designed to look like an iceberg coming out of the ocean on the fjord and yes that is salt water and yes it is freezing and yes it was sooo cold. Some Norwegians had actually put on hats but we think they were saving their big coats for more serious temps to come. Ironically though the sun comes up at 10 and sets at 3 pm (this near the shortest day of the year), when it is up it is directly in your face the whole time as it only gets about 3 feet above the horizon in a more or less a 4 hour sunrise turning to sunset with no day in between.<br />
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Here is a picture of the Jul i Toner Christmas production at the Romerike chapel that included members as well as musicians from the community in a high quality symphonic and vocal feast. This night about 450 were in the audience, about half were Church members.</div>
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Greeters at the concert were dressed in traditional Norwegian outfits and fed us wonderful warm rolls afterward.</div>
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<b>Christmas Concert Warms Hearts on a Cold Night in Norway</b></div>
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Outside, the first snows of winter fell in the frosty
December night air. Festive candles
cheerfully lit a snowy walkway to the Romerike chapel doors. Inside, hearts were warmed by song and music
that thrilled the soul of a grateful audience and welcomed the Christmas
spirit. This festive celebration was the
last evening of a three-night music concert series, the idea for which started three
years ago as a way to build bridges of trust and friendship between members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the local community during the
Christmas season. </div>
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This year’s concert was hosted by the Church and featured the
Lillestrøm City orchestra, a 60 member choir and special guest vocal and
instrumental soloists. The choir was
made of church members as well as members of local choirs, music organizations
and music schools. Practices for the
event began last summer and required members of the Church to travel, some from
as far as eight hours away, to meet in periodic intensive practice
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On this night, approximately 450 persons filled the chapel
to capacity to enjoy professional quality voice and instrumental soloists and the
choir. The choir was accompanied by a 15-member symphony orchestra and by the
35 member Lillestrøm brass orchestra which also presented its own musical
arrangements to celebrate the Christmas season.
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At the conclusion of this year’s concert, attendees were overjoyed
at having been part of a marvelous celebration of Christ’s birth and its
organizers were already thinking about ways to make the spirit of the production
available to an even wider audience next year.
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Concert sponsors recognize and honor the artistic talents of
each participant and especially the production and directorship skills of the
husband and wife team of Sven-Eric and Marie Lundkvist who were the inspiration
and force to bring this celebration from idea to reality. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to these
good people for their talented service.</div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-35961363252307522312013-12-01T07:10:00.000-08:002013-12-03T06:21:50.895-08:00THANKSGIVING AND THE FIRST ADVENT OF CHRISTMAS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighting of the Christmas tree in Frankfurt's old town center</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little missionary group braved the cold to welcome in Christmas season in Germany.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tree lighting was preceded by a children's choir on stage in the town square.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brass ensemble played from the roof top of the cathedral to serenade the Christmas throng</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This All-Things-Meat kiosk was very artistic but otherwise very unChristmassy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The area missionaries enjoyed a perfectly American Thanksgiving dinner in the cultural hall on Thursday. <br />
Someone even smuggled pumpkin pie across the border!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sign-up sheets for Elaine's 12 Days of Christmas service project.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior missionaries, ex-patriot employees and young missionaries.<br />
Seems like our group changes every other week with all the comings and goings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saved the least talent for last. "If You Chance to Meet a Frown" sung with stockings over the head and with tugging on either top or bottom at the appropriate moment to produce the correct facial expression. Try it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We came home from Thanksgiving dinner, got out the humble Christmas box, turned on Christmas music and decorated our cozy Porthstrasse apartment. See amazing animation below.</td></tr>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-45284045854498007712013-11-24T12:28:00.005-08:002013-11-24T21:12:10.112-08:00LDStein?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36WmQtwasAA/UpI2fzwM8TI/AAAAAAAACKA/wrrPWKErPlY/s1600/Idstein+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36WmQtwasAA/UpI2fzwM8TI/AAAAAAAACKA/wrrPWKErPlY/s320/Idstein+031.JPG" width="320" /></a> Last week was Elaine's highly acclaimed Primary program and the children sang their hearts out for her. We are so impressed with how good these children are at being reverent and trying their best even after long hours at church. The generations just keep getting better. Elaine was pleased to be done with the program as she was starting to have nightmares about it - but all turned out well.<br />
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We received this beautiful Thanksgiving Turkey from the Wilson's in the mail this week and it was just in time for Primary Song time today. The children got to write what they were thankful for on a feather and pick the song they wanted to sing. Thanks Wilsons for sharing what you are thankful for and for blessing us. We are thankful for you!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4hYSZ-iRpfU/UpI2foaONoI/AAAAAAAACJ8/_S2YwQqaNJI/s1600/Idstein+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4hYSZ-iRpfU/UpI2foaONoI/AAAAAAAACJ8/_S2YwQqaNJI/s320/Idstein+030.JPG" width="320" /></a>Besides our day job, the most fun thing we got to do this week was have some wonderful people over to dinner today. Sister Ezard on the left is a new senior missionary in the area presidency office. She is German but speaks perfect English as she lived in England and worked for an American company for years. A remarkable, faithful, talented Latter-day Saint, like all the senior missionaries here. In the middle are Pamela Lemon and her finance Mimo. Pamela has been very sick and in the hospital for a couple of months. We are celebrating her coming out party. Mimo came to Germany about 24 years ago from Morocco and is Muslim. Elaine and I home teach Pamela and we were so glad they were able to come to dinner with us today. <br />
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This week our Saturday outing was to a quaint little German village named Idstein. The name seemed a little odd because when written on the signs or as part of store names it looked (at least to me) like "LDStein". And then what do you know, we found this Angel Moroni weather vane and knew this was fertile ground for sharing our message.<br />
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My mind starting thinking, how could we recreate some of this fun building art work in Midway. Maybe we could carve up some of the timber posts on the front covered walkway. Wouldn't that be fun, but are we brave enough?</div>
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The village tour brochure explains that the unique shape of this "crooked house" was caused by a"building deficiency". And you thought they did it on purpose. Funny though, it probably raised the tourist value of this street 10 fold.<br />
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We could tell the town took great pride in the city. So old and so well maintained, with beautiful colors and decor. Can you believe the flowers in the window boxes on November 23?<br />
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Well, isn't that a coincidence? We seem to be wearing the very same clothes we have had on for the past 25 weekend outings in a row.<br />
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This is the Witch's Tower which the brochure says (and only says) has nothing to do with the infamous witch trials of the 1700s. The tower was first built circa 1200.<br />
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We were totally taken back by the rich treasure of medieval art on the walls and ceiling of this cathedral which was nondescript white stucco on the outside.<br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-75679763781634408902013-11-17T09:49:00.000-08:002013-11-17T09:49:06.483-08:00THE LIMES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We received a nice note and a big package of Dutch waffle cookies this week from Elaine's cousin Jan Steenblik in the Netherlands. During Joan and Hollis' visit in September, Jan was our gracious host to the Steenblik neighborhoods in the south of the Netherlands. We had told him we wanted to get some these delicious Dutch delicacies but despite Jan's diligent search, we found all the bakeries closed on the Saturday afternoon we were with him. He found these since and spent as much in postage as the waffles getting them to us. Sorry Joan and Hollis, the waffles were absolutely fabulous, but we're sure you'll agree it truly was the thought that counted and what a class act by Jan.<br />
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Janna and Gordon Springer served in the Freiberg Germany Temple about 12 years ago with Hartmut and Brigette Frenkle. When Janna told Brigette we were serving in Frankfurt, Brigette asked senior missionaries who came to the Temple if they knew the Cravens. She got our number and invited us to a pleasant dinner and evening at their home this week. Hartmut is counselor in the Frankfurt Mission. They spend every weekend traveling to the branches of the remaining district in the mission in the old East Germany They search out lost members and inspect missionary apartments on Saturday then speak in church and train members on Sunday before making the long drive home in the evening.<br />
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We were starting to run low on VIP brochures for some of our countries and were contemplating printing new books when we noticed 6 pallets stacked full of the brochures in the distribution warehouse. But the boxes were all mixed up so we could not tell how many boxes were had in each language. Our BYU intern Casmin, and our new Public Affairs Asst Director's wife Silva came with us to the warehouse to sort out all the boxes and inventory them. Now we need to get them out of the warehouse and to the countries that need them.<br />
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Saturday Elaine and I went to Saalburg, about 30 minutes from Frankfurt to see the restored ruins of the Roman fortress used in about 90-135 AD to control and tax trade between the Germanic tribes in the north and Roman Empire.<br />
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The Romans dug a trench (The Limes or Limit), bermed the ground behind the trench into a hill, then built a log fence in front and stretched this barrier 5,000 kilometers from the Atlantic in northern Britannia across Europe to the Black Sea, from there to the Red Sea and then across North Africa to the Atlantic coast, thus marking the limit or border of the Roman Empire. Vestiges of this border appear across Europe and the sites have been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.<br />
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Original foundation stones from 90-135 AD of the buildings constructed near the Limes entry control points. We visited a museum here that was chock full of Roman artifacts excavated from the area.<br />
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Saturday night game night at the Cravens cozy Porthstrasse apartment. Elaine won both games of Quiddler and Rummikub, but Martin got the Good Sport award.</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-14413345312996653162013-11-10T11:28:00.001-08:002013-11-10T11:32:04.975-08:00SAY CHEESE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Fetzer family at Helmet and Hilda's farm outside Rothenburg.</div>
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Reinhard is next to Connie in white and his brother</div>
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with wife and children are on the left. Great family,</div>
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feel like cousins, which they are.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dear diary,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I need to start typing
to see if anything comes to mind that seems worthwhile to our adoring public – all 5 of you. It was quiet week - mostly
in front of the computer screen. Our director
was in the office only two days so a good thing we work well without
supervision. Elaine started in sorting, selecting and editing the 350 images
she took in Switzerland. Next we will copy them onto a DVD, upload selected
images to the newsroom library and send some to SLC to be used in updating the
VIP country fact sheet for Switzerland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have been working on a
couple of newsroom articles about how the British Pageant affected the lives of
those connected with it, especially those who came into the Church after seeing
the show. We have some inspiring stories
and it’s been a rewarding project to hear many testimonies of how the pageant blessed
so many people. Now just need some photos to accompany. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sister Sirtl believes
it would be great to buy video cameras for each of the 26 National Public
Affairs Directors in Europe so they can capture newsworthy events for their
Country Newsrooms, so I was asked to purchase and demo a GoPro Hero camera this
week. After playing with it a bit I don’t think it is quite what makes sense
for most Public Affairs applications here, but we are now ready with at least
one camera if there is a service project that involves jumping out of airplanes,
or similar unusual but spiritually sporty situations. This week I am going to propose a more
conventional camcorder alternative. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yesterday we road our
bikes one last time, heading downtown to people-watch the shopping crowds and
then ride along the river for a while.
We then delivered the bikes to their new owners, the area legal counsel
and his wife, who have purchased them from us, and walked home. It was a sad parting as we had much fun
exploring Frankfurt and the country on them this past year. It turned cold today so the timing was probably
just fine. We continue to enjoy our service and companionship but just noticed,
if anyone is counting, that we have only nine more weekends in Germany so
trying to make the most of our remaining time here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-1724983475026240212013-11-05T11:51:00.000-08:002013-11-05T11:51:10.059-08:00SCHWEIZERDEUTSCH AND THE ALPS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear friends,<br />
This mission just keeps on getting stranger. This past weekend we completed an assignment to take pictures in Switzerland of the scenery and of the Swiss members. These images will go into the media library and be available for the Swiss Country Newsroom webmaster to illustrate webpages and news stories. We traveled 4 hours south to Bern on Friday and attended the temple in the evening on a French session. The temple is very large and on a large and beautiful piece of ground, as it once served all of continental western and eastern Europe. It has 4 session rooms and patron housing. Always fun to be with the Saints in the Temple. Saturday we got up early and headed south about 45 minutes to the shear, awe inspiring, larger than life, majestic Swiss Alps with their valley chalets complete with manicured fields, bell clanging cows and life-size Fischer Price cog trains that crank up the steep switch-backs to get nature lovers closer to the mountain. We have decided this is the most beautiful place we have yet to see and feel just a little bad we didn't bring the kids here on their visits last summer. Guess you will just have to come back.<br />
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We could drive up past Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen where we parked the car and boarded the cog train to take us to the base of the glacier field below the monster mountain legends of the Eiger (ogre) Moench (munk) and Jungfrau (young woman). Our plan was to follow Rick Steve's recommended mountain top hike over some fairly flat terrain for about an hour, with unspeakable views of the mountain peaks and valleys in every direction, then hike down the mountain to a train station lower down the mountain since the aerial tram at the end of the hike was out of seasonal service.<br />
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I was only a bit nervous as there were no other hikers on our trail. We had the place to ourselves and had to keep pinching ourselves that this was for real. (Ok, there was the one other guy who took this picture)<br />
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These are the three mountain legends and this picture does them no justice - just one of those things where you have to be there. A plaque at the bottom of the Eiger (far left) shows the different first routes taken by climbing teams that successfully scaled the face to the summit. I studied the face and could not imagine any route being possible. It looks literally straight up no matter how you approach it.<br />
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This is where it got tricky. At the end of our hike we had to descend a few thousand feet to catch the cog train back down to our car. The slippery narrow trail zig-zagged down between these snow fences,( an engineering feat in themselves), so we were comforted that if we fell, a fence would catch us about 50 feet further down. The mountain was so steep you could walk along and hold on the hill on the uphill side for balance. Again, we were the only people on the mountain, so I was a bit apprehensive about what it was we didn't know about this trail.<br />
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Only ? kilometers to go, don't sprain an ankle now.<br />
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Ok, we made it alive. If you look carefully at the horizontal brown lines drawn on the tops of the mountains, above the trees. Those are the snow fences we snaked down between for about 2-1/2 hours to get to Wengen and the train back to Lauterbrunnen. We count this as one of our great adventures and a highlight of our P-day experiences here.<br />
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On Sunday, Elaine took hundreds of pictures in the Winterthur Ward just outside of Zurich. We were hosted by our Swiss Public Affairs Director, brother Mattias Weidmann. He and his wife Doris are parents of eight children. The youngest 3 daughters are still at home. They will be in Utah next summer for a trip as a last outing before the oldest here goes on her mission. They have friends in Midway that live on Winterthur street, so we hope to see them and maybe take them for a ride in the boat.<br />
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We had fun at the Shroeder family home (see below) taking pictures of their family home evening. Their children were so darling, it made me tear up a bit thinking of and missing my own grandchildren. Our special FHE treat was a Swiss Sundae with Chestnut paste spaghetti (see above) over ice cream with extra cream on top along with chocolate syrup and a meringue kiss. What a cute family. The oldest is Emily in the second grade and already learning English. Most in Switzerland seems to know at least 3-4 languages. They speak a native "Swiss German" here too that Elaine had great difficulty deciphering.<br />
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We spent a few hours in downtown Zurich before heading home. This is one high-end town of luxury and premium products. The pictures here are of an amazing candy store. Just like the movies.<br />
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When we saw the fun clothing in the windows down town along the river, we thought Spencer would like this town. Wild plaids, checks, knickers and bow ties. Elaine was particularly taken with the leopard skin house slippers in this window.<br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-78220091246302568552013-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:002013-10-27T13:13:14.299-07:00A FALL WALK<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9P5t1gI45qQ/Um1MPl8b4HI/AAAAAAAACEc/PFwgqJczWYo/s1600/117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9P5t1gI45qQ/Um1MPl8b4HI/AAAAAAAACEc/PFwgqJczWYo/s640/117.JPG" width="424" /></a>Here's a less-than-flattering photo of the senior missionaries having our after temple dinner at a warehouse that had been converted to a medevial castle/bowling alley. Elder Craven is way in the back and is chuckling that he alone is aware a picture is about to be snapped.</div>
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Ha, ha. On Saturday we took our BYU intern couple the Wisners to Rudisheim a quaint little town about 45 minutes from Frankfurt. This time our GPS took us a different route and we had to board a ferry to cross the Rhein over to the town. Pretty interesting when out of the blue the GPS chimes in with "turn right and board ferry".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rich and Nat may remember riding in a gondola up the mountain above Rudeshiem. We hiked up this hill through the grapevines on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon.</td></tr>
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This is statue "Germania was dedicated about 1883 to celebrate creation of the Republic of Germany. We had a our picnic here with the Wisners as it is at the top of the hill above the vineyards. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dcnqXztKrnA/Um1LriQpyqI/AAAAAAAACEA/a_3_TFlNjvY/s1600/091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dcnqXztKrnA/Um1LriQpyqI/AAAAAAAACEA/a_3_TFlNjvY/s640/091.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The Rhein River valley below with Rudesheim off to the left.<br />
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A fall walk in the leaves in the forest above Rudisheim. When the wind blew, we would be pelted with hundreds of acorns and a blizzard of falling leaves.<br />
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We (us and the Kagels) helped Dinis and Sylvie Adriano unpack their moving boxes on their arrival in Frankfurt. They are from Portugal and Dinis will start work for the Church as Assistant Public Affairs Director Nov 1.<br />
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The highlight of our week was helping the missionaries teach Sasan, a religious refugee from Iran caught distributing copies of the Bible to friends. He loves Jesus so much, loves the Bible - sleeps with it. He came to church for the first time today then came to our house for dinner with the missionaries. His dad had to pay $10,000 to get a fake passport to get Sasan safely out of Iran. Sasan is reading the small Persian Book of Mormon - the parts that have been translated. His English is minimal so communication is hard but he believes Joseph Smith really saw God and Jesus and he feels good when he reads the Book of Mormon. All the missionaries had investigators at church today and the German ward has a baptism scheduled for next week.</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-91265692781704101752013-10-23T10:42:00.000-07:002013-10-23T10:42:38.391-07:00VIENNA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our most recent
assignment took us to Vienna to take pictures of members for use in producing
an Austria Country Fact Sheet and for illustrating articles that are posted on
the Austrian Country Newsroom website.
These assignments are some of the most rewarding as we get to meet
members in their home wards, enjoy dinners with them and go to their homes to take
pictures of Family Home Evenings in progress.
We have many more friends this week than last as these members
enthusiastically support our efforts and share their lives with us for the
short time we are there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Elaine does a
great job shooting pictures under a fair amount of pressure and under
conditions where the lighting is often poor and the ability to compose the
picture extremely limited. She is
grateful for the Lightroom software the kids gave us last Christmas and is
really developing her picture editing skills. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although the real seats are often sold out far in advance, for the cultural part
of our assignment we attended the Vienna Opera on Saturday night, paying 3
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The opera was Giuseppe Verde’s “Don Carlo” and it was a treat to enjoy
the beautiful vocals and the dressed up Viennese in attendance from our bird’s
nest view of the theater. We had little electronic English subtitles at each
place, but still had go home afterward and read the synopsis to get the story
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Our local public affairs specialist, Gerda spoiled us with arranging all the details for taking the Sunday photos. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Kagel celebrates his 70th birthday with us by enjoying a traditional German chocolate mousse cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dear friends Gretel and Swen Swenson have dinner with us before we take them to the airport headed to home. Dr. Swenson was area medical advisor and gave free home visits to the Senior Missionaries.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother David Cunia was our Saturday city guide in Vienna. He is a charming, warm and kind man and I am ashamed to say.about 5 years my senior. A retired banker, he is locally famous for his Elvis impersonation show.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expressive Viennese sculpture </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlas on the roof of the Habsburg winter palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only 343 identical steps to the top of the St Stephan cathedral tower. We came out dizzy from coming down too fast.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fuzzy selfie at the Habsburg summer palace - Schoenbrunn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palace guard budget cuts</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's good to be king - Hapsburg summer palace Schoenbrunn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The king's hunting grounds - he was a great hunter as nothing but squirrels and pigeons there now.</td></tr>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-13022009343960690382013-10-13T10:50:00.002-07:002013-10-14T10:13:48.599-07:00MUENCHEN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fall is a beautiful time in Germany. It is getting colder and seems to rain just about every day for at least part of the day.<br />
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Visited the BMW plant in Munich this weekend. Their corporate headquarters is the "4-cylinder" building. Friday evening we visited Marienplatz and the Hofbrau Haus and had a Bavarian dinner in town. Saturday we visited the Deutsches Museum which is Germany's Smithsonian with 10 miles of museum on the history of everything. Elaine's camera died so we spare you pictures of ancient sailing ships, early flight machines and demonstrations of paper making, etc., etc. We could have spent a month inside and were overwhelmed with the cleverness of mankind.<br />
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This is the artsy inverted cone part of the BMW World showroom featured in advertising.<br />
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Somehow after seeing all the super fancy fire-breathing monsters featured in the showroom, a white station wagon seemed like a more reasonable German souvenir.<br />
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Did we tell you how happy we were that our apartment halls were painted - used to be the brown cave.<br />
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Our apartment building parking lot - full of mission and area cars. Everyone else parks out on the street to save on parking fees and fill Germany's roads with cars parked everywhere.<br />
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We discovered a fresh squeezed apple juice only available for a few weeks in the fall. It is like drinking an apple :)<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Flowers in October</span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNqP1mmPLzM/UlrIf0EsX9I/AAAAAAAACAQ/BDkEkufquvY/s1600/Munchen+and+neighborhood+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNqP1mmPLzM/UlrIf0EsX9I/AAAAAAAACAQ/BDkEkufquvY/s320/Munchen+and+neighborhood+022.JPG" width="214" /></a><br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-76798192936099252192013-10-06T12:02:00.002-07:002013-10-07T21:26:04.672-07:00OKTOBERFEST<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear Friends,</div>
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This week we worked hard in the office as we were, for most of the week, the only ones on duty. We updated directories, mailed materials, counseled with an area authority about PA work and finalized our Christmas card list for the 11,000 Christmas cards sent out by our Public Affairs directors. Elaine photo-edited the many member pictures taken by Elder and Sister Foote during their assignment in Albania. Albania is on track to have their first stake this next March and the District the Footes visited has 35 missionaries out from their families. These are a faithful people who are receiving the reward of their sacrifice. Those of you who can deal with us taking pictures of our weekend outings and not make insinuations about dedication, please read on. If not, please stop reading now, and have a nice day.</div>
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For the rest of you, at the request of our missionary buddies, we did an outing on Germany's national unity day holiday Thursday because our office was closed and the country was closed and because they were carpeting the floors in the office so we could not get in, and also the wash was done and it only takes 30 minutes to clean our apartment and we need a break sometimes and it can be boring to sit in our apartment all day long.</div>
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Elaine organized a quick 3-dorf day trip with our friends the Eyres who came from the MTC with us, our new friends the Footes, from Las Vegas, who replaced the Livingstones, and with our cute newly-wed intern couple, Casmin and Jordon Wisner. Here we are in front of the lake/moat of the castle at Mespelbrunn. This 1100's castle escaped the destruction of the 30-years war and has stayed in the family with the current inhabitant a descendant of centuries of Lords and Ladies.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYbUbWXbxX0/UlGC6IeIq-I/AAAAAAAAB9c/jvc2NZkFQaE/s1600/new+office,+unification+day+10,2013+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYbUbWXbxX0/UlGC6IeIq-I/AAAAAAAAB9c/jvc2NZkFQaE/s320/new+office,+unification+day+10,2013+016.JPG" width="214" /></a>Royalty had to prove their nobility back 4 generations to claim a right to reign. This family made fun stained glass coats of arms of their ancestors to remind visitors of their blue-blooded parentage. This castle is so well hidden it escaped all wars unscathed.<br />
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Our next town was Werthiem with the largest ruins in southern Germany since they did not do as well in avoiding the the 30-years war :( The ruins sit above the confluence of the Tauber and Main Rivers.</div>
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More coat of arms plaques on the castle entrance to remind people of the nobility they were about to encounter.<br />
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This statue is unique because it is the resurrected Christ holding the cross. Christ's foot rests on the skull of Adam often seen at the foot of the cross representing Christ's victory over the fall of Adam.<br />
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Very possible these flags are being flown because it is Germay's National Unity Day. We will never get over the beautiful healthy window flower boxes we see in many places. Sure wish we could do this in Utah.<br />
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You can tell you are in a historic part of town when you encounter these beautiful ornate and detailed iron sign displays. This one belongs to the oldest hotel in Germany - the Hotel Riesen in Miltenberg on the Main River just above Frankfurt.<br />
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Unlike last, this year we are getting some fall colors. This is our view from the apartment balcony.<br />
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Sisters Stoker and Smith with one of Elaine's primary girls, Avery Ebert, who was baptized on Saturday. Missionaries here are incredible dealing with much rejection and disappointment they smile on with the best attitudes. They invited us to come teach Saturday but the appointment fell through.<br />
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New carpet in the Area Offices this week.<br />
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Elaine keeps the deck swabbed in our happy missionary apartment and its little toy kitchen.<br />
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Luckily we happened to visit the Wertheim Castle the day the Queen was at home and we were able to get her picture up here on the ramparts.</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-46234638115346310722013-09-29T11:33:00.000-07:002013-09-29T11:39:44.002-07:00THE HALLS AND HUNTS VISIT EUROPE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our Southern California friends Pat and Dave Hall came to Frankfurt last Monday as part of their Europe family history search tour. We bonded with Pat and Dave on our Israel trip a couple years ago. Here we are at the Frankfurt temple where they stayed at patron housing. We shared a tasty dinner and enjoyable evening together during their quick visit.<br />
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Joan and Hollis Hunt arrived Wednesday evening from Prague. We arose early Thursday for a quick trip through Western Germany and over to The Netherlands. We traveled down the Mosel River Valley to see well restored castles in Cochem and Eltz (Burg Eltz). This is the Cochem castle.<br />
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View from the castle parapets down onto the Mosel Valley below. While I always say its good to be king, the Cochem castle took 10 years to restore in the 1800's but while the owner was overseeing the work his wife back home being unfaithful. He died 2 years after the restoration was completed. I'll pass on being king.<br />
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These Delf tiles (300-400 Euro a piece) illustrate stories from the New Testament and were used to teach the Bible stories.<br />
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Took a 45 minute each way hike through the forest to reach Burg Eltz and afterward enjoyed a picnic lunch roadside. Found out afterward there was a parking lot much much closer :)<br />
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We stayed our first night in a sports arena basement hotel -a lovely facility in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. (That's what you get when ordering from a small picture off the internet.) Here is the old town in the foreground with modern Luxembourg behind. The clean modern city impressed us as being progressive.<br />
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Hollis' dad served under General Patton who is buried here just outside Luxembourg in the American Cemetery. An emotional visit to see those who sacrificed their lives in World War II.<br />
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The Frederik Steenblik store in Velp, Netherlands has been converted into a home which is being refurbished.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">With our second cousin once removed, Jan Steenblik, age 73, who showed us the original homestead just outside Geersteren. The barn is attached to the house with green fields full of contented cows across the herringbone brick road out front.</span></td></tr>
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Jan introduced us to pflannkuchen - a huge pancake covered with yummy vegetables. He spent the entire day with us showing us the land of our forefathers.<br />
A widower, he keeps an immaculate house and raises singing canaries who have won awards.<br />
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Near Holten where Grandma Janna<br />
Templeman Steenblik was born is a town that makes wooden shoes. We found one here that would fit Gordon Springer.<br />
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Jan treated us to delicious creamy Dutch ice cream. We were so grateful to learn he could speak German. His mother died when he was 3 days old and his father's second wife was German, so he chatted away with us going between Dutch, German and English at will and within each sentence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Sunday dinner guests included friends of Joan and Hollis, Jack and Joan Pferdner who work in the Frankfurt mission office and Marilyn and David Kidderman our new Church History missionaries.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Goodbye dear Hunts who fly home in the morning. Thanks for coming and see you in a few months!!</span></div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-71419382855399465432013-09-22T11:13:00.000-07:002013-09-22T11:19:37.676-07:00WORKING HARD IN FRANKFURT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had quarterly zone conference in Friedrichsdorf on Wednesday and captured the latest images of our faithful senior missionary force at the chapel. Elaine was the expert photographer and had us in and out in less than 5 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were not there, but had our senior missionary spies that got to the Mission Presidents' seminar in Paris keep an eye out for the McConkies, seen here standing with a fellow mission president couple seated left and our friends the Smiths (Infield Rep) seated right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Last Saturday the Kagels got us tickets to the International Auto Show held in Frankfurt biannually. We were there with every single male in the western hemisphere to get a look at the cool new cars and coming soon to a showroom near you, as well as a few wild prototypes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This turned out to be my favorite - a retro Triumph Bonneville for only about 9,000€. I think I missed my chance to own one about 40 years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got to the show when it opened at 9:00am but were exhausted by 2pm. When we left we were absolutely the only ones headed away at such an early hour as the crowds just continued to grow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We said good bye to our friends the Livingstones from Provo this week. These departures leave us feeling a little abandoned for a time, but we plan to get together again as they don't live far and are people you just want to hang around to see if some of them will rub off on you a little.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elaine visited the area translation office this week where they are busily preparing for upcoming General Conference weekend. So who gets to be President Monson's voice in Poland, Albania, Italy, Czech Republic... this time around?</span></div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-3834080350557429202013-09-15T10:47:00.004-07:002013-09-15T11:27:29.849-07:00INDEXING AND RAIN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vABVkQ2yN8/UjX5BkcPW1I/AAAAAAAAB4s/k2QYty7or3E/s1600/P1020518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vABVkQ2yN8/UjX5BkcPW1I/AAAAAAAAB4s/k2QYty7or3E/s400/P1020518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make more productive use of our time in the office we have started indexing. We indexed over 200 Canadian border DOL immigration forms from the early 1900's in just a couple of days so have a set a goal of getting a 1,000 done by the end of the month. We selected the easiest level of records but still find deciphering the hand writing much like detective and plain old guess work. We are anxious to see what % success rate we achieved when our work is duplicated by someone else and then differences are reviewed and reported by an arbitrator.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb-1xZ0IT7s/UjXqOEinbMI/AAAAAAAAB3M/JPNt1P80ne8/s1600/P1020497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sb-1xZ0IT7s/UjXqOEinbMI/AAAAAAAAB3M/JPNt1P80ne8/s400/P1020497.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P-day turned wet and rainy early. We took a chance and beat the rain on bikes to the city and flea market, but were glad we had our umbrellas once we got there. The vendors did their best to keep their goods dry so it was otherwise business as usual. During the worst of the storm we took in the Staedel Museum along the river. They actually have some of the paintings we studied in school, including some by Rembrandt, Cezanne, Renoir, Van Gogh, Manet. We enjoyed it immensely but found it easy to get sensory overload after a couple of hours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Martin needs to remember to smile for pictures, we actually were having a great time and found the trees above the outdoor market to be beautiful after the rain</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y37eTCFilF4/UjXqUoBYSSI/AAAAAAAAB3s/byiSXhFwMPQ/s1600/P1020502+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y37eTCFilF4/UjXqUoBYSSI/AAAAAAAAB3s/byiSXhFwMPQ/s400/P1020502+-+Copy.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Frankfurt's old town touristy center. We think they are setting up for campaign rally speeches. Elections are next week and Germans are far more politically active than Americans. They have multiple viable political parties including some with a single purpose in life - like the "Get out of the Euro" party that actually has a chance to be heard if Angela Merkle is forced to make a coalition with them to stay in power. Obviously we know nothing about how politics work over here, but the Germans seem to have strong opinions and are ready to voice them.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eVKjYwAJrO0/UjXqWphOT-I/AAAAAAAAB38/5qgz8j157Ok/s1600/P1020510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eVKjYwAJrO0/UjXqWphOT-I/AAAAAAAAB38/5qgz8j157Ok/s320/P1020510.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty sure this is a booth for the environmental "Green" party. We think Germans are naturally pretty green in spite of an apparent lack of interest in this booth at the moment.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5E3mSa6r-Kw/UjXqXKVEBAI/AAAAAAAAB4M/i61uYwGzfQM/s1600/P1020511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5E3mSa6r-Kw/UjXqXKVEBAI/AAAAAAAAB4M/i61uYwGzfQM/s320/P1020511.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The famous Zile shopping mall strip. It seems its always packed and tells us Germany's economy is doing pretty well these days.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i8fzKPLFeec/UjXqWzSeD8I/AAAAAAAAB4A/TTkEIGhTZcE/s1600/P1020512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i8fzKPLFeec/UjXqWzSeD8I/AAAAAAAAB4A/TTkEIGhTZcE/s320/P1020512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure if these are Christian Democrats or the Christian Socialists. But pretty sure no one remembers when or why the "Christian" party of their name came into being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really - there is a party for everybody. Can't find what you like, why not join the Pirates?</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sO0I3GNr17g/UjXqYSBjY2I/AAAAAAAAB4U/qFVIxJKZ3As/s1600/P1020496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sO0I3GNr17g/UjXqYSBjY2I/AAAAAAAAB4U/qFVIxJKZ3As/s320/P1020496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elaine thought you'd like a picture of this grill at the flea market. The charcoal basin must be about 6 feet across and the aroma from the many varieties of wurst was almost irresistable. Ever careful to live healthy, we had found a tomato and cheese on a bun and wished we had some salt.</span></div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-14564030863645059822013-09-08T12:09:00.000-07:002013-09-09T04:16:40.652-07:00BACK TO SCHOOL?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">September brings new missionaries to Frankfurt. Four new senior missionary couples and about 30 new young elder and sisters. The Frankfurt mission had a record transfer on Thursday that required over 150 missionaries to be at the main train station at the same time. Sorry we don't have a picture, it looked like something like a flash mob.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things have been slow in the office. We were kicked out for a few days while they redo the air conditioning in our ceiling. We tried to work from another office one day and attended the temple and had a genealogy lesson on another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lately our bicycling goal has been to find new places to ride bikes on the weekend. We found a little forest southeast of Frankfurt about 8 kilometers from the apartment on Saturday.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KZjYdHFumMg/UiyykkOnbiI/AAAAAAAAB0A/NiDMIvMSa28/s1600/At+the+Frankfurt+temple+Sep+2013+021-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KZjYdHFumMg/UiyykkOnbiI/AAAAAAAAB0A/NiDMIvMSa28/s320/At+the+Frankfurt+temple+Sep+2013+021-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our dear friends Theresa and Steve Heath sent Elaine these handsome and beautiful kitchen aprons for Elaine's birthday. Elaine's is hand made, reversible and a work of art. Mine is very manly and just vat is vanted for grillink der bratswurst. Danke danke dear good friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a recent outing to Strasbourg with our friends the Eyres we stopped at a little French town with a German name - Souffenheim. Seems its known among clay pot connoisseurs for ceramic art. We found dozens of little shops in the town and each one had a different art style and color theme to their work. We got to watch them a small shop in action at Ludwigs Atelier We came away with a few souvenirs which by the way is a French word meaning "to remember".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a very flattering picture, but a good meal at the Nouvelle Poste restaurant on Rue du Parchment in Strasbourg. Am I really sucking my thumb in public? No, I think there is a phone in there somewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most famous building in Strasbourg is the Cathedral with its 140 meter steeple and 300 year old astronomical clock. The clock still works and tells all kinds of things about what is happening in the solar system, but is was all in French and wasted on us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These doors rival those of Notre Dame de Paris for grandeur. (trying hard to intersperse French words where I can). By the way, we have decided that our spelling is now absolutely shot as a result of seeing so many German, French and English words similarly but not quite spelled the same as in American and especially when we read English signs and instructions which use English spelling rules instead of American. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The highlight of our outing was a trip around the Le Petit France portion of Strasbourg on a tour boat. We got to experience going through several locks that are required to keep the water deep enough for navigation.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUhKmHLNyb4/Uiyy5FuhhPI/AAAAAAAAB1A/ncTEbHNGRZs/s1600/Eyres+on+the+Batou+in+Strasbourg+Sep+2013-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUhKmHLNyb4/Uiyy5FuhhPI/AAAAAAAAB1A/ncTEbHNGRZs/s400/Eyres+on+the+Batou+in+Strasbourg+Sep+2013-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">French bread is an art form, coming in many shapes, sizes and flavors. We splurged and treated ourselves to Pistachio ice cream cones, pain au chocolat and mille feuilles. The mille feuille reminds me of the old missionary days when we would reward ourselves with one after a hard week of tracking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday we invited two new missionary couples over for dinner, The Jacques on the left are mental health missionaries and the Footes are Young Single Adult coordinators. Sister Foote is holding up our visual aid we used to teach how to sort garbage into 5 different cans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to the temple this week and found the gardens at their pinnacle of beauty for the summer. In their German way, the equal of the Salt Lake temple grounds, as you would expect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two flowers in front may look past their prime, but they have left seeds that far eclipse them.</span><br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-69250630032576474892013-09-01T11:55:00.000-07:002013-09-02T01:13:30.695-07:00BLACKBERRIES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elaine's wild birthday party with German<br /> chocolate mousse cake</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is feeling like fall in Frankfurt. We see people bringing apples home from their community gardens and we see the myriads of what we thought were wild raspberry bushes along the bike paths turn from red and bitter to black and sweet. Turns out they were really blackberries.We rode out to the farm fields last Tuesday night with the Swifts and picked a few. We thought it would be like strawberry picking, but black berries have double the thorns of a rose and we paid a price for trying to reach up high to get the big ones others left behind. The Germans have an easy mix for jam in 3 minutes and so Elaine was able to make a quart or so of delicious homemade blackberry jam that we are now enjoying - more so because they were so painful to pick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week we sang in the choir for a funeral in our ward. We went hometeaching and a dear inactive sister let us in so we felt like successful missionaries. Had one mid-week day off because workers are installing new A/C and used that to explore the way to our Offenbach chapel by bicycle. Friday was temple night and we got to do ordinances half in German and half in English depending on the ordinance worker's language capacity - pretty fun. Then Saturday we used our knowledge to ride our bikes the the Ward BBQ, which took about an hour but the route is along the Main River and very pleasant.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJ7BrbThL5M/UiOKPdfSl3I/AAAAAAAABzg/wlH0ICdisDY/s1600/blackberries+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJ7BrbThL5M/UiOKPdfSl3I/AAAAAAAABzg/wlH0ICdisDY/s400/blackberries+004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homemade blackberry jam on a thin crisp rye cracker!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The worker bees, hard at work in the Area Office</span><br />
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-22299129198865140402013-08-25T10:17:00.002-07:002013-08-25T10:36:22.601-07:00I'M SO GLAD YOU WERE BORN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest event in
the mission this week was Elaine’s birthday today. Thank you all for your nice cards, letters
and emails. We spent this past week
working on the Country Fact Sheet project, continuing to organize our
department’s master records file on the computer, and preparing to brief Elder
Christopher Charles, the Area Seventy for all the eastern countries in our
area, plus Greece and Cyprus. We spent a
delightful couple of hours with him on Friday, sharing what Public Affairs does
in Europe and what his responsibilities are as advisor to the Directors in his
countries. We treated him to dinner afterward
at a nearby Biergarten so he could have a German cuisine experience, as he is
from England. All the new area seventies
are here this weekend to be trained by the Area Presidency, but only Elder
Charles asked to get some Public Affairs training as he is
brand new. We were fascinated by his
stories of Greece where he was most recently Mission President. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian Terreaux and the Cravens at the Huggenotten Garten</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Midweek this week, we went to dinner with our
wonderful French friend Christian Terreaux who was here for French week at the
temple. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then on Thursday night
our missionary friends the Swifts, invited us to the Palmgarten for an outdoor
blues music concert staring several legendary American blues player/singers who
we had never heard of but who were really good.
It was fun to see the conservative German crowd loosen up and dance in the
aisles. A little lager helped raise
their spirits.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday we enjoyed a lovely walk in the forest with our friends the Livingstones and our friend Gabi Harth who takes care of the missionaries registrations and drivers licenses. The Livingstones go home in a couple of weeks we will will feel the loss tremendously. They have been such a perfect example of the Savior's love shown by service.</span></div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-55476267283905008512013-08-18T06:16:00.001-07:002013-08-18T06:16:30.444-07:00AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farewell lunch for Tasha Singer, out dear adopted daughter and intern</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Lorenzo Snow’s priesthood lesson #15 today was really an admonishment
to cultivate an attitude of service where ever and whenever we are in
life. A great way to cultivate desire to
serve is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude – in other words to count our </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">blessings and acknowledge their source!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We daily express gratitude for all the “big”
things – testimony, good children, beautiful grandchildren, faithful heritage, extended
family that love us, health, sufficient moola for our needs.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But here is our list of little things we are
grateful for this past month:</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">the car Martin backed
into in Zwichau didn’t sustain any damage, whew!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">we had our little A/C
unit during Germany’s two weeks of summer,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">summer only lasted 2
weeks and now we’re into fall,</span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">the beautiful view
from our balcony,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">the little grocery
store in our building,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Elaine is such a good
cook,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">we can go exploring on our bikes,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">CISCO VPN, Netflix and
an Ipad – technology that has been a mental life saver, not to mention related apps – Facetime and Intsagram in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well could go on for a while but that’s it for now,
keep smiling and say your prayers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Ue1Y6l0YbQ/UhDB7wtB-JI/AAAAAAAABv4/Tg5m4dmQByU/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Ue1Y6l0YbQ/UhDB7wtB-JI/AAAAAAAABv4/Tg5m4dmQByU/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" width="214" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3vh2RWylMOk/UhDB9q9yfaI/AAAAAAAABv8/abS7O5KIGTk/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3vh2RWylMOk/UhDB9q9yfaI/AAAAAAAABv8/abS7O5KIGTk/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drenched to the bone from being caught in a sudden rainstorm while biking downtown.</span></span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_qHVvJMxnI/UhDCRwVPWuI/AAAAAAAABwY/LNNFpnY8Qfo/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_qHVvJMxnI/UhDCRwVPWuI/AAAAAAAABwY/LNNFpnY8Qfo/s400/DSC_0001.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Tasha, makes us a sweet goodbye card!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0AfRZT28QyM/UhDCDGlPIrI/AAAAAAAABwQ/GtzGky4cbv8/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0AfRZT28QyM/UhDCDGlPIrI/AAAAAAAABwQ/GtzGky4cbv8/s400/DSC_0026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">What happens when you don't know how to play volleyball.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_DPDWatDCY/UhDCddWnszI/AAAAAAAABwg/Ib5DKEIxK1o/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_DPDWatDCY/UhDCddWnszI/AAAAAAAABwg/Ib5DKEIxK1o/s640/DSC_0003.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">With Dan and Ann Eyre in Marburg, our dear friends who came into the field with us.</span><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLCC6l5RMWw/UhDCf0SbcDI/AAAAAAAABwo/aA3FNM9SxNM/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gLCC6l5RMWw/UhDCf0SbcDI/AAAAAAAABwo/aA3FNM9SxNM/s640/DSC_0025.JPG" width="428" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Saturday outing took us to Marburg and St. Elizabeth's Cathedral</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0MtEHVGatM/UhDCh5G5v9I/AAAAAAAABww/skpzYkrYEmI/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i0MtEHVGatM/UhDCh5G5v9I/AAAAAAAABww/skpzYkrYEmI/s640/DSC_0028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The east choir houses the remains of the famous.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMQvmp9LHeA/UhDFeiX8SMI/AAAAAAAABw4/IP8lzyQ2sgM/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMQvmp9LHeA/UhDFeiX8SMI/AAAAAAAABw4/IP8lzyQ2sgM/s640/DSC_0020.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Marburg University is where Martin Luther studied and questioned the Catholic doctrine.(actual photograph taken during a heated scriptural debate)</span><br /><br /><br /> </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-50119460425125688562013-08-11T09:29:00.000-07:002013-08-11T09:29:25.157-07:0039 YEARS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We spent most of this week in the office working on odds and ends, but Friday got to get out for a drive down to Heidelberg to make a What-is-Public-Affairs presentation to the senior missionaries serving in the Frankfurt mission. This group of 36 missionaries are assigned in little towns all around the mission, mostly doing Young Adult outreach and member support but also watching over the younger missionaries. We told them about some of the more colorful higher profile events that have happened in Europe recently and got in a little message on how they can be good media spokespersons by always focusing on our key messages.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJJZV-9CqRM/Uge6FzzjpHI/AAAAAAAABvE/Z2FioqbDwYI/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJJZV-9CqRM/Uge6FzzjpHI/AAAAAAAABvE/Z2FioqbDwYI/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Oh and last Friday, we celebrated 39 years of heaven on earth (and our wedding anniversary) by driving up the Neckar river and having an ice cream Sunday after the missionary meeting. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhMmFsn5QXM/Uge6eQrYR9I/AAAAAAAABvM/z_QEO428xoY/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhMmFsn5QXM/Uge6eQrYR9I/AAAAAAAABvM/z_QEO428xoY/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Saturday night we supported the missionaries by playing volleyball at the ward with their investigators.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EWhXII4A_M/Uge6_AGFiXI/AAAAAAAABvU/WTlmzWRt-Ac/s1600/Sister+Craven+-+Primary+chorister.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EWhXII4A_M/Uge6_AGFiXI/AAAAAAAABvU/WTlmzWRt-Ac/s320/Sister+Craven+-+Primary+chorister.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Today, Elaine was sustained as Ward Primary chorister. I sneaked in and took a picture of her on the job.</div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093189010219574181.post-69473760666431461702013-08-04T08:09:00.006-07:002013-08-08T09:15:59.863-07:00TRUTH WILL PREVAIL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hg0JUWDDgQ/Uf5lrZ0IxJI/AAAAAAAABuA/e0q3v1FZOZc/s1600/Truth+will+Prevail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hg0JUWDDgQ/Uf5lrZ0IxJI/AAAAAAAABuA/e0q3v1FZOZc/s320/Truth+will+Prevail.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMKpGSPNwU" target="_blank">British Pageant Link</a>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMKpGSPNwU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMKpGSPNwU</a><br />
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The link above should take you to a You Tube video of the Dress Rehearsal of the British Pagaent</div>
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The British Pageant opened on the Preston Temple grounds last Thursday and plays through next Saturday evening. The weather has been extremely wet so the organizers did so well to arrange for a massive tent to hold 300 cast members and 1600 audience each night. We read the first night's report from the Pagaent President, Stephen Kerr and it sounds like it is off to a resoundingly successful reception with a full house of appreciative audiences. Next week the Pagaent will host 3 apostles and 3 Seventies from headquarters. As best we can tell it is also getting good coverage from the press. It certainly will be a life-time memory for those who participate or attend and hopefully will reenergize the British Saints to share their gospel heritage. We have so many young missionaries in the field now, they need people to teach and they are going to come from the efforts of the members.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hMiLk2SE2ts/Uf5Qxh2AQKI/AAAAAAAABtU/OA6akbPVjUk/s640/DSC_0090.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is 100% Martzipan, made to look like fruit - but so much better!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KF3NwUzVlE/Uf5ROeCBDtI/AAAAAAAABtc/hF7-SRu5u6E/s1600/DSC_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KF3NwUzVlE/Uf5ROeCBDtI/AAAAAAAABtc/hF7-SRu5u6E/s640/DSC_0091.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can even get your Martzipan fix pretending you are eating vegetables.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We enjoyed this recently seen ad poster for head phones. Try to find words that really are German. I wonder if they have made up all the other words they use from different languages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We took the Kagels to the Mexico Lindo restaurant in Mainz this weekend. Their menu is in English and points out that the restaurant is run by "real Americans" (the source of all authentic Mexican food). Their name is Rameriz however the food tastes real to us. The best part shown above is that they serve ICE water from the tap and you don't have to pay extra for it!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weisbaden is next door to Mainz and Elder Kagel served there so we stopped by the Russian Othodox church. Actually we wanted to buy some more frankenscense but apparently it is a seasonal kind of thing. (ok,you spell frankenscense!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is real live Edelweiss. It was velvety soft but looked hearty enough to poke up through the spring snows of Austria. Not much to look at however, reminded us Utah sage brush in color.<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMKpGSPNwU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMKpGSPNwU</a></span></div>
Elder and Sister Cravenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04263964286771719978noreply@blogger.com0