Dear All,

This has been a busy week as are they all.  This first part of the week we were busy preparing the proposed 2013 budget for the Europe Area.  This is a pretty involved process and takes a lot of coordinating time with the missionary couples in the various countries.  Each must be contacted to learn what projects they want to do, and then fitting that information into a master plan for Europe.  Then the plan has to be approved by the European Director for Temporal Affairs, and the Area Presidency.  Once that is done it must be submitted to the Church Welfare Dept. to be incorporated into their master plan, and then it starts moving up the line to the First Presidency and the Counsel on the Dispersion of Funds.  All this must be done while still doing our normal duties, and fulfilling our normal responsibilities.

Last week I taught Priesthood, which is a very interesting experience, because in our HP group is the Area Presidency and the Area President was in the class  ex- mission presidents, a just released temple president, and many highly educated members.  The lesson was on Pres. Uchtdorf''s talk " The Merciful shall obtain Mercy" form the last general conference.  It was a very interesting discussion as we defined mercy and its several meanings.  We discussed how to really apply mercy and the difficult thing this can be to do.  One of the main conclusions was that to be merciful is as essential for the giver as for the receiver, both need the principle of mercy, for growth, and we are all both givers and receivers of mercy.  When mercy is not extended an opportunity is lost for both parties.

The next day on Monday I gave the weekly devotional for the staff of the Area Office.  Surprisingly I was not stressed about this assignment,but knew what I wanted to say and present.  Many people in the world think of God as their creator (if they believe in God), only a few of those think of God as a Father, and only the Church teaches that as Children of God we have divinity within our spiritual genes, and therefore a divine potential if we choose to live for it.  I had several good discussions centered on that subject throughout the week.  In fact I think I will ask one of the mental health missionaries to present that topic in our Nov. fireside.  He has really thought this topic through and developed quite a presentation on good and evil and their influence in our lives.  It all sounds quite simple and concise, but there is much more to this idea than a quick look reveals.  It is amazing just how much the scriptures contain when you really look thoroughly at a subject, or principle.  The same passage you can understand on several levels.

This week I  thought that I would share photos of Frankfurt and some pertaining to our apartment.

As you can see German engineering has now learned how to built gravity defying structures or this is a new design in rockets just taking off - take your pick.

These blue and purple flowers just stay beautiful all the time.  I think they are perennials that just keep flowering.  We certainly have enjoyed them.  In the window behind them you can see our Wetterhauschen.

It is the last day of September and the geraniums on the balcony still look pretty.  I think I'll bring them in and put them in the stairwell for the winter and see how they will do.  We don't have a window sill big enough to hold them in the apt.

Our tomato plant has become domesticated and is now indoor tomato plant.  It has now grown to the ceiling of the living room/dinning room/ironing room/ laundry drying room.  Now will it produce inside like a good little tomato is the next question (maybe they will be red for Christmas).  I can say that so far it has not had 1 accident on the rug (that's better than most puppies I've knew).
We wish you all a good week next week.
Love, Oma und Opa