Madeline Schwitter; Zurich Lake; view from Uetliberg.

NOVEMBER 16, 2009 MONDAY

The decision to go to Uetliberg today didn’t look to be a good one when we looked out the window after getting up this morning. It was overcast and raining pretty good. In fact Elder Harris called to say he and Elder Baird weren’t coming, but Elder Richeson & Dockstader and Charlotte were still planning on going. We didn’t have to meet at the Zurich Bahnhof until 11:30 and that gave us enough time to get a few things ready for home evening tonight. I left at 11:00 and Diana stayed home to rest and relax without having to worry about walking, hiking or getting wet and muddy. She said she had a wonderful P-day just staying home. I also had a great P-day hiking in the woods and hills with Elders Dockstader, Richeson and Charlotte. We traveled to the end of the line by train, got out and hiked the rest of the way to the top. When we got out of the train, it was still cloudy and fog laid between the mountain ridges, and the best part it wasn’t raining any more. The air was fresh and clean and the views were fantastic. We took a lot of photos, but most of them don’t do justice to the magnificent scenery. We climbed the tower which gave us a complete unobstructed view over Zurich City and many of the smaller towns and Zurich Lake. After climbing the tower we hiked a trail along the top of the mountain (not really a mountain, but a tall ridge above the valley where Zurich sits) for a couple of hours enjoying the country. At one point Charlotte said she heard an interview on TV where this man said there is no such thing as God and all religions just prey on the fears of people, and when people talk of faith and feelings and testimony, it’s just themselves imagining things, etc. etc. I told Charlotte there was a story in the Book of Mormon about a man who taught the same thing. She’s been a member for about eight months and had read the BM, but didn’t recognize the story of Korihor in Alma chapter 30. So, while we walked along the path, I read the story to her and we had a good conversation about testimony and faith and that Satan recruits people again and again to teach the same lies and falsehoods. We hiked as far as Haldenegg where we got aboard a gondola that took us back down to where we could get on a train back to Zurich Bahnhof. We traded trains and continued on to Oerlikon where Charlotte left us to go home while the three of us went grocery shopping. I didn’t need any groceries, but I needed an excuse so I wouldn’t be traveling the rest of the way alone with Charlotte. After she was gone I went over to LIDLs and bought some more oranges and tomatoes. I also bought some ice cream to go with the brownies for dessert tonight.

When I got home about 5:00, Diana was rested and relaxed although she finished getting our apartment ready for visitors tonight. We decided to have pizza for hors d’oeuvres at the beginning of home evening so we got the pizza out of the freezer, grated mozzarella cheese on it, and then Diana made faces (16) out of tomato slices (mouth), pineapple chunks (nose), and two slices of wurst for eyes. We put it in the oven about ten minutes before people started arriving. First came Neide. We were glad to see her because she’s been absent for our home evening for quite some time. Next came Charlotte followed by Madeline and Bodo. Madeline is the investigator of Elders Nilsson & Irick. We started with a song, Waehle Recht, (Choose the Right) and a prayer offered by Charlotte.

Everyone loved the pizza; it was just the ticket to start things off. After the small talk and snack, Bodo gave the lesson on “Conversion.” He introduced the subject by telling us, he and Charlotte were working on writing her conversion story. He asked who else had not been born in the Church and Neide raised her hand. He asked Diana and me if we were born in the Church which, of course, we were. He then asked Madeline when she was baptized, not knowing she hadn’t been baptized yet and wasn’t a member, but was investigating. Madeline didn’t quite know what to say so Diana interjected that she wasn’t baptized yet, but had a baptism date for December 19. Diana doesn’t know if she really does, but Madeline kind of went along with it. Now we need to be sure and tell Elders Nilsson & Irick that the seed is planted and to keep her working toward the 19th. He asked Neide and Charlotte to tell how they decided to get baptized and how that affected their families. Both said they recognized the truth, prayed and received a testimony and had the desire to be baptized even though their families were against them doing that. But they stood firm saying they had to live their lives the way they felt they should and that their families couldn’t live it for them. Diana and I also made the point that every person, member or not, has to go through the conversion process. Just because we’re born into the Church, doesn’t guarantee anything. We all have to work, study develop faith, pray and live the commandments. And the important thing is that we endure to the end. Madeline said her family was having trouble accepting her talking to the “Mormons,” too, but we hope she can overcome that problem. Hearing Neide’s and Charlotte’s stories will help her stay strong.

We began playing the game called “Spoons” when Elders Nilsson & Irick came and we gave them each a couple pieces of pizza we had saved for them. When we dished up the ice cream and brownies, everyone said it was too late for something sweet and so we gave each a carry home bag of brownies. We put the ice cream back into the carton and then into the freezer. All in all we feel it was a great day and especially a great home evening. Bodo did a wonderful job in teaching the lesson.

Elder Knight called tonight and gave us our assignments for district meeting Thursday; Diana has the closing song and prayer and I have the opening song and prayer.

A tender mercy was Diana feeling inspired to reinforce the baptism date for Madeline and then Madeline agreeing with the suggestion. We always feel it’s a tender mercy when we get to teach the gospel and today we got to do it twice.