Family Letter August 26, 2011

Friday, August 26, 2011

Dear Family,

I am trying to write a  quick note so I can get this in the mail.  Where does the time go?   It seems like it is flying by.  We have just passed our 6 month mark and that means we only have a year left.   There is so much to do and see I hope we will get some things accomplished.  

Last Sunday, I invited over three couples for dinner at our house.  We had Diane and Allen Asplund, the Leonards from Cheyenne, Wyoming.  He was a child’s dentist after he got out of the military where he was dentist.  The Davies, who are the Executive Secretary to the Area President and who picked us up at the airport when we first arrived and had us stay in the apartment in their building for a few days until we moved over here to Bad Vilbel.   We all had a great visit and it was fun getting to know people a little better.  I fixed cordon bleu, which you buy in the store frozen for 4 of them and it only costs at 2.59 Eur, which is really reasonable and easy because you just pop them in the oven for 25 minutes and they are done.   I tried to make scalloped potatoes in the crockpot and everyone seemed to like them.  We had sliced Baguettes (like French bread, just smaller around), frozen vegetables, a tossed salad that Sister Asplund bought and ice cream for dessert.   We didn’t visit real long because we had a fireside with a member of the Area Presidency at 7:00 and one of the sisters had to go put together the refreshments at 5:30 p.m. but it was still very nice.

I am planning on having two couples and a single senior missionary sister, who is leaving in a couple of weeks over this Sunday for dinner after church and  then we will go for a walk by the river and park if the weather permits.  The two couples are new. One are the Wells from Provo, was an Psychology professor and originally from St. George and he still has a lot of family in St. George.  The other couple are the Bradley’s and they are from Holiday (how do you spell that?  I am brain dead.)   He is a lawyer and they are not missionaries but service representatives.  They are invited to all our activities and meetings though.   It will be interesting to find out what that means and I don’t know how long they are here except I know they signed some kind of a contract.  His wife doesn’t have an assignment so she is making quilts and cooking and finding things to do.  

We had Zone Conference a week ago and that was really good.   It is always nice to get together with the other couples and be uplifted and laugh also.  We learned about a lot of them and their assignments here which was really interesting.  Marv and I had to tell about our assignments and how we give service.  That was really hard for me.   Marv did a great job and I am glad I really had to think about what benefit I am giving.   It was interesting to understand what Humanitarian projects there are throughout Europe and what the Public Affairs people have worked on.  They can’t tell you what they are working on now only after it is done.

Last Saturday, the Asplund’s came over and we met up with the Peterson’s from Lehi and walked around our town and park.  It was the start of a Festival here and they were getting their booths set up in the park.   I bought a tablecloth and some small square tablecloths for the table also.   We ate a hamburger at the Down Under Australian Restaurant and it actually was very good.  Marv and I ordered the kids meal and it was plenty.   It was a hamburger and fries.  The hamburger was the normal size hamburger but we saw the other hamburgers and they were HUGE.   We of course had our Cola Light and it was hot for once outside and I could have had two of them easily.   

Afterwards we walked around a little more and then we watched a parade.   It was fun.   I have now seen my first German parade.   There were about three bands and they weren’t kids bands but adults dressed in costumes.   There were huge tractors pulling big wagons (I’m guessing like hay wagons) with people inside most of the time having a good time and drinking beer.   During the parade, they gave away flowers, apples, apple juice and we think beer, (we didn’t take any – in case you are wondering), cookies, key chains, and of course candy.  We really did enjoy watching it.   The floats have a long ways to be like the floats back home even the small town floats at home are much better but it was still fun to see.   I was clapping for the floats and realized that the Germans don’t clap.   Oh well, maybe I can start something new.   We hurried and got home and had to leave for our Ward party. 

I had made peanut butter brownies with my precious chocolate chips in them and they failed.  They were getting too done on top and not done enough in the middle.   I have to hurry and find something else I could take so I took some packaged fancy looking cookies with chocolate on them.   I felt so dumb but what do you do when you are trying to learn how to cook.   I think part of the problem is they don’t have real brown sugar over here either.   Oh well, it was still fun.   They had over 100 people show up for the ward party.   It was mainly different salads and dessert but it was fine.  It was pretty noisy in the gym because everyone was talking and they had it set up so that you moved around trying to get to know all the new families that have moved into the ward.   We got home about 8:30 p.m. and I had to finish putting the finishing touches on my Relief Society lesson.

On Sunday, I taught President Utchdorf’s talk On the Road to Damascus.   It was a really good talk and I was glad I got to teach it because I learned so much and it was exactly what I needed to learn at this stage.   The sisters were wonderful with sharing some of their experiences that really added to the lesson.   I think it went well and I felt the Lord was really helping me.   I am glad that they ask us to teach once in a while because I need that spiritual uplift in my life even more.   We do have a devotional in my office every day and that is really good.

Well I guess I had best get this in the mail.   I love all of you and hope that life is treating you good.   We are doing good and I am happy to be here serving at this time.  Marv is awesome and he is the best companion anyone would or could ask for.   We think about you and love you. 

 

Love ya,

Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma (Vickie for MaKayla), Marv and Vickie for the rest of you

Brother and Sister Pearle, May 5, 2011

Visit to Perle's to get computer and records for the Center for Young Adults Program, May 5, 2011

(Elder and Sister Perle with Marv and Vickie Paxton in the Perle's livingroom in Nutingen, Germany)

Sister Pearle and Vickie Paxton by their apartment

(This is taken from a letter sent to our family on May 5, 2011)

Today Marv and I along with Asplund’s (Diane and Allan),who are the CFYA Leaders, and who we have become good friends with got to travel to the town, called Nutingen, that is about 2 ½ hours away from here to pick up a computer, filing cabinet and files for Marv’s job from Brother Perle.   It was a very nice drive and I did notice a couple of castles on the hills on our drive but of course we couldn’t stop. 

Sister Perle fixed us lunch and it was very good.  She had chicken pieces in a sauce over rice, sliced tomatoes with sliced round mozarrela cheese and rolls.   Her table was beautifully set and her home was very lovely.   It is in an apartment building where they have lived for the past 36 years.   They pretty much raised their children there.  As I looked around, she had decorated it very lovely and she shared stories about a lot of the things she had.   There were stories about a lot of the figurines she had.  Some were given to them from people they served on their missions and held special meanings for her. 

Sister Asplund and I loved visiting with this sister.   She gave us a book to look at that was all about Dresden and what happened there during World War II.   I should have borrowed it because she had two of them.  One was in English and the other one was in German.  I found it very interesting and the pictures were so good to look at. 

I was amazed that she raised her children in this small of a place.  There is a small kitchen, a 1/2 bath, small diningroom, a livingroom which has door out to a very nice balcony and then some steep stairs to an upper part that has an office which used to be a big bedroom and I believe maybe two other bedrooms up there.  We are truly blessed to have such large homes with yards in America.  Their apartment building has 6 apartments in it, I think.  

Brother and Sister Perle shared with us their story of how they met.  She is a convert and Brother Perle baptized her.   She saw the name of the church on the outside of a church and decided to attend a meeting and check it out.  She then got interested in going to the dances and activities there on weekends.   During that time in Stuttgard there were a lot of soldiers here and so a lot of the girls married the American soldiers but she didn’t.   Brother Perle when he was 23 and a newlywed was made a Branch President.   Then he was a Bishop, Counselor in Stake Presidency 2 times, Bishop again and I think they have been on 6 missions.  They have served in the temple a couple of times, in Dresden proselyting,  and Trainer for the CFYA.   He is around 75 years of age. 

<>     <> Sister Perle told us a very touching story about how she had had a  sickness that paralyzed her from the waist down when they were on one of their missions so they had to be released.  Brother Perle gave her a priesthood blessing after she had suffered some time with this and the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her.  She was healed enough that she can walk around now.  After this healing and getting better they went back and finished their mission but they feel they can never pay back the Lord enough for healing her.   Her legs are still kind of weak but she said she can get around and she is not complaining.  

This is a picture of Elder Perle and his brother and sisters when they were little and then when they were older.  We thought this was a cute way to see the changes in life.

They shared some beautiful stories with us.  She told us we need to go to Dresden and see all the history that is there.   This is where the wall was put up and divided the East from the West.   She remembers this time very well.   She is actually from Czech Republic and she remembers the night that Dresden was bombed by us.  She was close to the border and they could see the glow of the fires from the bombing.   She was kicked out of Czech Republic but was sent to Stuttgart,
Germany, to live with a relative, which was a blessing in disguise because  she did not have to stay behind the iron wall.   She and Brother Perle met in Stuttgart.   Anyway we learned so much from them and the Spirit was so strong.   If only we could have experiences like today every day. 

We had a prayer before we left for guidance and safety and for a nice time of getting to know and love the Perle’s.  We were able to travel up there with no problems and traffic was even decent.   I had been a little concerned because Marv was having to drive a big van and I know how hard it is to get around in the little car we have – I hoped he would not have any problems.   We didn’t get lost and the ride went smooth.  Coming home we couldn’t get the car to start because we could get the key to turn so Brother Perle tried to help us and finally after reading the manual, he got the car started.   It was kind of funny but then we left after they gave us some sweet rolls from the bakery for our trip home.   The Perle’s are the most wonderful and faithful people I have ever met.   They are loved by Heavenly Father and you can feel that they know that and how much they want to serve the Lord.   Our trip home took us an extra hour because of traffic.  We left around 8:15 a.m. and got home at 7:00 p.m.   I felt the Lord did bless us totally today.  

Marv shared his story of why he is on a mission today with the Perle’s.  Brother Asplund asked him to do that.   He has told his story many times.   I always want to add what I felt and saw but I let him tell it his way and don’t interject anything.   He always gets choked up and he says he knows the Lord saved his life and this is a small thing he can do to give back a little to the Lord.   I am so proud on him.   He is truly doing a great job here.  

I love all of you.   I want you to know that I love the Lord and I am glad that I too have listened to the Spirit and made choices in my life that have given me this opportunity to serve here.  I have come to know that the Lord knows the end from the beginning and he knows what we are capable of doing.  I know that he loves each of us.   I know that he wants us to obey the commandments and as we do, he blesses us beyond measure.   He never breaks his promises to us.   It is us that break our promises to him.   I love my Savior, I love each of you with all my heart.   I miss you but I know this is where we are suppose to be right now at this particular time.  I believe as time goes on we will even learn more on how we can serve him even better and why he wants us here.   Even if it is for us to be stronger, to love each other and our family even more, even if it is to make some new and dear friends, even if it is to touch the heart of someone somewhere, there is a purpose and we need to do our part.   What a wonderful opportunity to learn to serve and to serve with all our heart.   May the Lord bless all of you with the blessings that you need and desire.   May you feel his love for you and that his love will fill in for us while we are gone.   May all of you feel that we are where Heavenly Father wants us and that you will feel our love for you is my prayer.   The gospel is true and if we follow the commandments we will find happiness in all our lives.   Keep up the good work.  Remember to smile and be grateful for the little tender mercies that happen in each of our lives each day.