NOVEMBER 3, 2009 TUESDAY

Elders Richeson & Dockstader arrived at about 8:30 and picked us up to go help Sabina Richter move. She is the neighbor friend of Ewa & Martin Neidhart. She was waiting for us when we arrived and greeted us like old friends. She is probably in her late fifties, lives alone, but mentioned having a sister and nephew. She was born in Germany, lived in Egypt, then India, then moved back to Germany and for the last 38 years, has lived in Switzerland. By profession she is a neurosurgeon, but has been unemployed for awhile. She mentioned her money is running out and she’ll have to find a job soon. We worked all morning loading and unloading the van at least three times carrying stuff out of her old apartment and into her new one. The building where she is currently living is going to be torn down in order to build a bigger apartment building and she was very angry about having to move. She was very grateful to all of us for taking the time to help her. We asked her if she knew why we were in Switzerland to which she replied, she didn’t. We explained we were missionaries and asked her if we could come over and teach her. She responded she needed to finished getting moved and then simply recover from the trauma. After that she would think about it. She invited us in for tea, but we had other things on our agenda and had to decline. We agreed that after she was moved and all settled, she’d invite us to come visit her then.

We went home, got changed, had lunch and then decided we had time to go to Oerlikon to visit Serge Serfoesoe, our birthday boy for today, before Elders Nilsson & Irick were coming here to wrap a present for an investigator. While riding the bus and nearing our bus stop in Oerlikon, we saw Neide walking along the sidewalk. We tried to catch her eye and wave to her, but she didn’t see us. Our bus stopped not too much farther up the street where we jumped out and went back and met Neide. We hadn’t seen her for a few weeks so it was a happy reunion. After the hellos and hugs we told her we missed her and that she needed to come back to Church. She explained about the problem she had with her sister, while she was here, which kept her from coming to Church. She said she was emotionally drained from the visit and was recovering. Now that her sister went back home to Brazil, she said she’d come to Church Sunday and start coming to home evening again. We told her that at the home evening last night we decided, if she didn’t start coming, we’d all have to come to her home to have it. She said, “okay, okay, enough already. I’‘ll come, I’ll come.” She also said that she’d just come from an interview for a job and told us of a couple more prospects she was working on. She is excited to find a job and start making some money.

We walked together to Serge’s apartment, but he wasn’t home. The entrance door to the building was locked so we couldn’t leave his present in his mailbox. We’ll have to give it to him on Sunday. We have his email address and we sent him a birthday congratulations over the internet. We’ll take him his box of cookies to Church Sunday and give it to him there. We rode the bus with Neide to her stop and then walked her home.

We hurried on home, but before we got there, we saw Elders Nilsson & Irick turning into our apartment building ahead of us. They didn’t have to wait long before we arrived to let them in. While they wrapped their present, we cooked some pork stew meat and put it into the beans we soaked overnight and now were simmering on the stove. It’s been a long time since we’ve had white beans on the menu. They take a long time to cook to get them soft enough to eat. For a change, the missionaries had already eaten and didn’t have enough time anyway because they had an appointment to go to and they didn’t want to be late. When they left, we gathered our stuff together and left too.

This time we traveled to Schwerzenbach and then rode the bus to Zentral where we got off and walked fifteen minutes to Patricia Hungerbuehler’s apartment. It seems like about the hundreth time we’ve been to her place and we’ve never caught her home. We left the invitation to stake conference in her box anyway and then returned to the bus stop. The day started out cool, but nice; as the day progressed, it got cloudy and colder and we were hoping it wouldn’t start raining before we got back home. We caught the bus we needed and went to our next address where Rene’ Hartmann lives. He’s another one who has never answered his door. Today was his birthday and we really wanted to meet him to personally wish him a happy birthday and also talk to him about coming back to Church. We know he lives there because his name is on the doorbell, but he wasn’t home today either. We left his box of cookies and card in his mailbox so he at least knows someone is thinking of him. After that we went back to Schwamendingen and visited COOP again. Among a few other things we bought a small ham for Fabian’s farewell dinner Sunday. We don’t know yet if he’s available because we haven’t asked him, but we’re getting ready just in case he is.

Diana doesn’t feel sick, but has a nasty cough that won’t quit. We bought some tablets to put in boiling water that smells like Vick’s Vapor Rub that’s supposed to help get rid of chest congestion and coughs. Laying down seems to help stop the coughs too. I finished cooking the bean and we had dinner. The beans were sooo delicious. Why don’t we cook them more often? While the stove was still hot, I got some water boiling and put the tablets in. Diana, with a towel over her head, breathed in the vapor. We’ll see if it did any good as the night wears on. Before I went to Institute, I also baked two loaves of banana bread. It’s been awhile since we’ve had banana bread and it really smelled delicious. The Doyles wrote in their blog a few days ago about baking banana bread and we’ve been thinking about it ever since.

We made arrangements to meet Fabian at Institute tonight because he had some Euros he wasn’t going to be able to use and we wanted to buy them from him. Diana really wanted to go to Institute and hated to stay home because she doesn’t feel sick. It’s just that stupid cough. But stay home she did while I went to meet Fabian. The rain that had been building all day finally let loose so I walked to the Church in the rain. We exchanged money and then I came home again rather than stay there without Diana. Suwang was there and I talked to her awhile and, after I left to go home, she called Diana and talked to her for a little bit. We feel bad that we haven’t had the opportunity to go visit her, but our schedules haven’t seemed to match up. She lives in the Altstetten ward so we don’t see her on Sundays but seldom. She used to come to our ward, but she goes to her own ward because her bishop said she had to, if she wanted to get a temple recommend. So she’s being obedient.

The tender mercy today is that we were able to cross paths with Neide and renew our friendship with her and encourage her to stay strong. She said Elder Ehlen wrote her a letter and encouraged her to keep going to Church. She asked how he could possibly know she had missed a few Sundays. But that’s how the Spirit works.