06 Nov 2010- New Assignment In Freigeriest

This is the house we are working on in Freigeriest










Towne of Friegerisch




















I guess you are wondering why no travel log the last week? Well, we have finally been given an assignment in addition to our work day 9-5 job. I have to be honest, Elder Walters and I have not been feeling much like Missionaries because all we were doing is work. Not many spiritual experiences like the young missionaries have, but I believe that has been our own fault by not asking for more ways to serve others. We made it a matter of daily prayer that Heavenly Father would help us to know what to do. Believe me when I say, if you ask the Lord to give you more opportunities for service, he answers those prayers in a big way.

The Stake President called us into his office and said he had a job that only Brother Walters could do. And he was right. We are now helping a single sister with 4 small children all under the age of 10. She has a very old house that needs a lot of attention. Part of the house was built in the 1600's and the other part built in the 1800's, so you see what we are up against. The main thing to get done is the heat. They are only able to live in 4 rooms because the wood burning stove can only heat that much space. Just a word about German stoves. They are fabulous, they are fashioned after the old ones we see in the castles. They are still workable. The outsides are all inlaid with glass tiles which actually do keep it warmer) Back to the story. Their are holes in the roof, which Elder Walters noticed right away, and holes in the walls. The upstairs and basement are not finished so you can see the material that was used to build it. MUD AND STRAW. You can actually see the straw sticking out. I took a few pictures so you could see.

Instead of going on our little mini vacations each weekend we now go to our service project which by the way is much more fulfilling. Elder Walters is putting insulation in every hole he can find and making it air tight so that it will be ready when the heating goes in.

We have been so much happier since receiving this new calling. It is true, service does bring happiness and more of a feeling of Christ like love for others. I'll bet you are wondering where I figure in on all of this? Believe me, I am giving service to. The kids have adopted us as their grandparents since they are never able to see their own. They are jumping all over Gene which makes him more homesick for his own grandchildren. I help the sister with projects she has in the livable places like ironing and organizing things. It is hard to organize when you have four children and limited place. All those classes we had in Relief Society on organizing sure come in handy, thanks ladies.

Here are a few pictures of the before project, I will be taking more as the projects are completed. The experiences we are having now will be far more lasting than all the places we have seen. We have a Senior Missionary Zone Conference on the 10th so I will write about that on the next blog. Tschuss