Irene & Joerg (b.r.), E. Dockstader, Charlotte, E. Larson, E. Irick, E. Dias (m.r.), E. Irick & Agnes (f.r.). Robert & Diana; Godwin Junior, E. Irick, E. Dockstader, Agnes & Priscilla.

DECEMBER 31, 2009 THURSDAY

This morning we had to be sure we had everything we needed for our New Year day lunch because the stores would close early today and be closed tomorrow. We needed some more eggs and bread to make French toast and hashbrowns so I went into Migros and bought some before I had to go into Oerlikon. I also bought some more of those delicious clementines and a few bananas. I had to get this done before I had to leave. Yesterday, while the Elders were here Diana volunteered me to go with them to help a member move some of his belongings so I had to meet them at 10:55 in Oerlikon.

This morning President Matern made the transfer calls to missionaries who were being transferred next Thursday to new areas of labor. Our expected call came as I was walking to Oerlikon to meet with Elders Irick and Nilsson to travel to Kloten to help Oliver Martin move some of his belongings to a storage place. We have known about our transfer for a couple of months already, but now we are allowed to tell others about it. It has been really hard knowing that we were going to be transferred and not able to say anything about it. When I met Elders Irick & Nilsson, I asked them what they knew about transfers. They said they had been released as Zone Leaders, but were going to stay together working in their current area. This made us extraordinarily happy because that means they would be able to take care of the members we have been working so long with. I told them Diana and I were being transferred to Schauffhausen and at first they thought I was kidding them. When they realized I wasn’t, they were shocked and then really sad that we would be leaving. They expressed their appreciation for our help in working with and fellowshipping their investigators, in particular Priscilla, Madeline, Agnes, Angela, Susan and Nellie. They wondered aloud if the Walkers, the new senior couple replacing us, would open their home to help them with investigators as we had. For example, many times after Church services we provided a place for them to teach their investigators while providing lunch for them. Normally we would invite a member or two also to help them integrate into the ward. We have really enjoyed a close relationship with all of the missionaries who have been assigned to our district. It’s going to be different being the only missionaries in a city and in a small branch as well. There’s only three sets of missionaries in our new district, the Singen District. One pair is in Schwenningen, Germany; one pair is in Singen, Germany, and we’ll be in Schauffhausen, Switzerland. Both of them have cars, but we don’t. Why?

We took the train to Kloten and were met by Peter Martin who took us to where we needed to go. We joined the group of Evelyn Martin, Andy Brantschen and Oliver. It only took about an hour to unload the trailer and take it all into the storage room. Peter took us back to the bahnhof just in time to catch the train back to Oerlikon. Rather than walk home I took the bus and tram because it was raining again.

While I was on my way home, Liz Bouso called, returning the several messages we had left on her cell phone during the last couple of weeks. She said she lost her phone and had just found it again in the bottom of her mother’s purse and someway, the sound had been turned off. She apologized for not responding sooner, but, of course, she couldn’t because it was lost. She said she was still in a mess with her mother visiting and still ill and she with migraine headaches all the time. That very moment she was taking her mother to the hospital to get a check up to see if they could determine what the matter was. I wished her well and a happier New Year and she promised to keep in touch. Later on this afternoon Diana discovered I had bought loaves of bread with fewer slices in them than we thought, so she sent me back into town to get one more loaf. Who should I meet in COOP, but Liz Bouso and her two children, Tito and Triana. She related all of her troubles and trials over the last months ending with her mother’s who is visiting, but since she’s been here, has been very sick and not able to do much. We went through the check stand together and rode the tram to Schoerlistrasse where I got off and went home. She promised to keep in touch and that she wanted us to meet her mother before she went back home to Spain. She said she was dying for some of Diana’s brownies. Diana is going to make some for Madeline’s baptism Sunday so we’ll have to save a few out and take them to her.

This afternoon Diana boiled some potatoes for the hash browns tomorrow and I baked a couple of batches of cookies. We also called Priscilla and Madeline and texted Cornelia and Neide to make sure they knew they were invited to come to Charlotte’s party at 8:00. Madeline said it was too dark for her to be out walking alone and she was afraid of some Macedonian men who hung around in the park she would have to walk past, so Diana volunteered me to go and escort her to Charlottes and that I would be there at 7:50 to meet her. At 7:30 we walked over to Charlottes and when we got there I remembered I’d left our camera cell phone on our bed. I had to run all the way back home to get it and then run all the way down to Madelines because I knew she’d be waiting at the door for me exactly at 7:50. Even though I ran I was two minutes late and sure enough, there stood Madeline at the apartment building door waiting for me. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk the approximately 400 yards from Madelines to Charlottes, but we got there without any problems or concerns. On the way she told me that the missionaries hadn’t brought back her pans and dishes that she let them take with the food in it she fixed for them last Christmas eve. She had company coming for her baptism and wondered aloud how she could fix anything for them without any pans or platters. The missionaries promised us that they would return them to her after we washed them and left them on the kitchen counter for them, but they had forgotten. We would have taken them over ourselves, but the missionaries were going over there anyway and have been there several times since. We thought they had taken care of it.

After I delivered Madeline to Charlottes I looked for my backpack to get our camera out, but realized I had left it at home, too. Once again I ran home to get it and then made a detour to the church to pick up Madelines pans and platters. Finally, I had all the running around done and could relax the rest of the evening. Those who attended the party included Madeline, Priscilla, Agnes, Godwin Junior, Elders Irick & Nilsson, Dockstader & Dias, Charlotte, Diana and I. Agnes and Madeline are investigators and Junior a less-active member. Godwin Junior is an interesting story.

Elders Irick & Nilsson were on a train and talking to Tony Dkere inviting him to come to play soccer this evening and then to come to Charlotte’s party afterward. After they hung up they realized they needed one more player to at least have three players on each team. A black man happened to be sitting across from them, obviously listening to their conversation, and they spontaneously asked him if he played soccer. The man replied he did (speaking in English) and they asked him if he would like to come play with them. Amazingly, he said he would, if he could bring a friend with him even though they lived near Winterthur almost an hour train ride away. The missionaries, of course, agreed, and continuing to talk to him, they found out he was from Nairobi, the same place Tony Dkere was from. As it turned out this man and his friend actually came and played soccer with them, but Tony didn’t. He ended up going to Geneva instead to celebrate with some friends there. And now it gets a little more interesting. After getting done with the soccer game, the missionaries invited both the man and “his friend” to come over to Charlotte’s party. The original man didn’t want to come and left, but the friend, “Godwin Junior” wanted to stay. As it turned out both of these young black men were refugees staying here in Switzerland and Godwin Junior is a baptized member of our Church. He was baptized five years ago in his home country and since being in Switzerland, hadn’t been active in the Church. Isn’t it wonderful how the Lord, in His own time and way, looks after His sheep. If Elders Irick & Nilsson hadn’t listened to the prompting to invite a stranger sitting across from them to play soccer, and the “stranger” hadn’t of accepted on the condition of bringing a friend, Godwin Junior wouldn’t of been found. Now we know that he’s here, the missionaries in Winterthur can work with him.

We had a fun time together, eating well and playing various games while kind of watching the European version of the Times Square celebration on T.V. Priscilla went home about 10:00 and Madeline left about 11:00, but the rest stayed until the bitter end. At midnight Joerg & Irene dropped in and we all went out and watched what fireworks we could see through the trees and over the buildings. It’s legal for anyone to set off huge fireworks from their front yards and the smoke got pretty thick before it was over. Finally, it was time to go home. We wish everyone a happy and successful New Year.

Finding Godwin Junior, age 19, we felt was a tender mercy today.