THE MORMONS ARE COMING!!!

Ummmmm...HELLO!.....WE'RE ALREADY HERE!

This poster has been in many tube stations all over the city.  The Book of Mormon musical....here it comes.  It's interesting to watch the church prepare for it.  It's talked about in meetings as a great opportunity to share the gospel.   There's a big push for people to do their "I'm a Mormon" profile.  Alex Boye and others have been here recording TV ads.  As Rick says, any publicity, good or bad, is good for the church.  It causes people to ask more questions.

We met our downstairs neighbor a few weeks ago.  Rick mentioned we were Mormons, and she was all excited and mentioned she plans on seeing it (they're Jewish).   I hope we have an opprtunity to discuss it after she does.  So interesting.

Vienna!

What a beautiful city.  So glad Rick was able to play one day!

This is the Sconbrunn Palace, summer imperial residence.

Too bad the flowers aren't planted yet.  We did a guided tour inside, which was awesome.

 

Their normal residence is the Hofburg Imperial Palace.  It's really not that far

away from the summer palace.

Hitler made his speech from the balcony about Austria joining Germany.

 



 

 

Vienna is famous for the great composers who lived, studied, worked and/or died here:

Beethovan, Mozart, Brahms, Haydn, Gluck, Schubert, Strauss, Vivaldi......

 

Musician's area of the Central Cemetery....

 

Beethovan...

 

 

Brahams....

 

 

Johann Strauss, the father....

 

Johann Strauss, the son....

 

 

Schubert....

 

 

 

...and more. 

A memorial to Mozart, though he is not buried here.

 

 

 

And their very own Mormon section....

only 7 graves here so far.

A very Mormonesque statue.

 

 

A huge, awesome cemetery.

 

 

 

I add this cool tree for Ryan.  :)

 

 

So where, you wonder, was Mozart buried?

In the St Marx Cemetery.

In a pauper's grave. 

It would have been in a "shaft grave" with 4 or 5 other people,

without a cross or even a graveside service.

This memorializes him, but no one knows exactly

where he is buried in this section.

 

 

People were only buried at this church cemetery for 90 years. 

It has not been kept up well, but a slow restoration project is underway.

Silly me....wandering cemeteries in Vienna.

Aren't I fun to travel with?

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was an awesome trip.  Very beautiful and educational.  I loved travelling the subway...you buy a ticket, stamp it, put it in your pocket, and just leave it there.  It's a matter of trust...no turnstiles to enter or exit...so much quicker and more efficient than London.  Of course, not as many people either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

New Callings and a lot of Thought and Introspection...

We were sustained and set apart in new callings today.  Rick is a High Counselor in the Hyde Park Stake over YSAs. We are both YSA Advisors and  now attend the Brittania YSA ward but also work with YSAs in the whole stake (along with a sr. missionary couple). 

Testimony meeting today...."I'm from China, been a member a year"...."been a member 8 months"....been a member 1 1/2 years"...."from Africa".... They're from all over the world, and members as short as 1 hour (yup, baptism before church). 

Rick was actually issued his calling last week, but I was sick so didn't receive mine until today.  It was interesting that Pres. Bassett of the Stake Presidency kept referring to this calling as a mission.  I sort of thought I should correct him, that we aren't here as missionaries but for Rick's job, but are happy to serve wherever.  Then he said they all felt we had been sent here at this time for a reason, and we may want to think of our time here as a mission.

That comment has caused a great deal of thought and introspection on my part.

During my setting apart,  much of the time was spent talking about family history.

Then the woman over family history for England and Europe wanted to talk to us.  She sees great things for these YSAs and family history.  What better way to keep first generation members in the church than involve them in family history and the temple.

Rick and I have both felt this experience of living in London would be great in preparing us and our families for our serving multiple missions in the future.  I thought I was fortunate that I love family history and could do so much on my dad's line while here....kind of selfish thinking.  Me, me, me.

I hadn't considered that I might be helping move the kingdom forward in a different way than just  my own kindred dead while here.  Thinking about the events that have lead us here, to be used as instruments in the Lord's hands at this time and in this way,  has been kind of a neat experience.......

How to do Book Club in London:

 

1.  Download "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls on your Nook (thanks children for the Christmas   gift!)

 

2.  Read the book.

 

3.  On the appointed day, hop on the tube, then the overground, then hope you walk

the right direction, find the correct street, and walk down to a little bookshop

called "Books for Cooks".

 

4.  Go to the back of the bookshop to the little restaurant, hear a few strangers talking and ask if they're here for the Book Club.

 

5.  Sit down with them, and finally a familiar face comes.

 

6.  Discuss this amazing, difficult, heart-wrenching, yet uplifting book with

five other women from the U.S. and one from the U.K.

 

7.  Eat lunch...This little bookstore serves food from the cookbooks they sell.  Whatever they make that day, you eat....no ordering except do you want 2 or 3 courses?  Can I say lentil/pomegranate soup is absolutely divine?  And chicken with plums and onions and who knows what else on rice is very tasty.  And the chocolate cake....to die for. They serve until the food is gone. If you got there too late....sorry!

 

8.  Pay up front at the till as you leave...5 lbs for 2 courses, 7 lbs for 3.

 

9.  Get introduced to the bookstore kitty-cornered from this one....it was made famous in the movie Notting Hill with Hugh Grant.

 

10.  Go into the Pound Store (that would be the Dollar Store in the U.S.) and buy a few little items.

 

11.  Walk down Portabello Road (famous in Bednobs and Broomsticks??)  and head back to the station with your new friends. 

 

12.  Everyone scatters and heads different directions  to go home because we live all over London.

 

13.  Download the next book and hope the next restaurant will be just as delightful.

 

The End.