Today after church and a delicious dinner at my Grandparent's house in Salt Lake I drove to the airport to pick up a friend coming back from Korea. I thought her flight came at 9pm, but it turned out that it wasn't scheduled to arrive until 9:40pm, so I had 40 minutes to kill. I sat on a bench and read for a little bit, but my lack of sleep from New Year's eve was catching up with me and I wasn't able to concentrate. So I put away my book and began one of my favorite things to do: people watching. As I watched people come and go, I suddenly became aware that the older couple sitting next to me were speaking in German! The wife went to grab something to eat, and since I was sitting there anyway, I turned to the husband and asked him where he and his wife were from (in German of course).
It turns out that they are from Switzerland!!! I knew that lovely accent sounded familiar! They have been living in Salt Lake for over 40 years, however they still speak German to each other. They were just coming home after visiting a daughter in Arkansas, but they had to wait at the airport for another daughter to arrive on her flight before going home.
That totally made my day, especially since I've been feeling a little homesick for Switzerland and Germany lately! What are the chances? :)
This is my lovely mission "Mom" (trainer), Sissi, and her husband Tom who was my very first district leader and their baby Sam. It was the first time I've seen them since the mission, as they live in Germany near where Sissi is from. They were up for the holidays visiting Tom's family in St. George. I was so happy to see them and meet their little one! Hopefully it won't be so long until we see each other again!
Oh how I love my baby sister! She is the bomb dot com!!! :) This was at Temple Square on Thursday where Alyssa performed with Timpview High School Acapella in the Joseph Smith building as well as the Assembly hall. It sounded beautiful!!!
I feel blessed to have so many wonderful friends who inspire me to be a better person. I'm grateful for the courage that so many of my friends have to face whatever trials they are dealing with--whether it's physical illness, mental illness, challenges at work or school or in the family, to name just a few. I'm also grateful for the positive outlook on life that so many of my friends have even when they're dealing with difficulties that would seem insurmountable to me.
Recently I spent the evening with a friend who is one of the best people I know. She has a very cheery outlook on life and she spreads happiness to everyone around her. I found out that she's having some physical problems that are quite debilitating. But true to her innate cheerfulness, she didn't complain about it, she just told me the way it is and how she'll just keeping living life anyway. I was so impressed by her faith and courage. I'm truly lucky to know her. This is a shout out to her and people like her who just go forward one day at a time placing their faith in God and still loving life despite challenges.
Talked with my lovely Grandma on the phone in the morning. I love that she calls me on Saturday mornings to find out what fruits/vegetables I got in my Bountiful Basket and to catch up on my life!
Took a FREEZING cold shower....For some reason our hot water wouldn't work at all! BRRRRR!!!
Left SUPER late for my shift in the Temple, but luckily some friends from my shift saw me walking about two minutes after I left my apartment and gave me a ride. I love how in Provo I can count on the fact that when I begin walking to the Temple on Saturday mornings I never get all the way there without someone stopping and giving me a ride!
I LOVE volunteering in the Temple! There is an incredible spirit there and I always feel refreshed, revitalized, and back in touch with God after spending the majority of my Saturday there.
Bought a Christmas tree!! Yaya!! My wonderful Mama gave me money to buy a Christmas tree & lights as an early Christmas gift. She is seriously the BEST! I love the smell of real Christmas trees! My friend was super nice and gave me a ride & helped me haul my Christmas tree in his truck. AND he even helped set it up. How nice. Buying a Christmas tree makes me feel like a real grown up.
Our apartment manager came over on short notice (and on Saturday night to boot) to look at our water heater. Discovered that the temperature had gotten bumped and was set way too low. No wonder our hot water wouldn't work! About 20 minutes after resetting the temperature we miraculously had hot water again. The wonders of modern technology!
Since the apartment floor was covered in pine needles, my fantastic roommate Kim and I borrowed my family's vaccuum and (after a short ice cream break with them) we had a dance/cleaning party! Blasted the music, sang, and rocked out all the while cleaning! Our apartment looks sparkly clean now and it's always great to have an excuse to dance!
Ate dinner with my Mom and sister Alyssa then spent a while playing the piano and singing with Lyssa. We played/sang: Christmas songs from Josh Groban's Christmas songbook, "For Good" from Wicked, and "I Never Saw Blue Like That Before" from Runaway Bride. The last two songs are two of our favorites.
Drank pumpkin spice (Stephen's hot cocoa)
Got ready for bed. I love nice relaxing days! I only felt slightly guilty for not doing homework. Will have to wake up early Monday morning now.
This semester I'm taking a class which is on German literature from before the 15th century. The majority of the literature from the time is religious, and I have been interested to find kernals of truth in many of the works which we have read and discussed. Here are a few nuggets I've found which have influenced my thoughts this semester.
This song is a rendition of An das Angesicht des Herrn Jesu written by Paul Gerhardt. J.S. Bach used the text in his Matthäus-Passion. This is a modern version of the song sung by Selah. The german text is much longer than the english translation used in the song, however the essence is here. The text focuses a lot more on the suffering and anguished experienced during the atonement of Christ than we tend to focus on in the church. In one of the verses the focus is on how we are healed through Christ's suffering. In many of the verses, Gerhardt expresses his desire to be near to the Lord, and to have the Lord near him. My favorite is the verse in which Gerhardt thanks Christ for his suffering which allows us to belong to Christ. I love the language Gerhardt uses "What language shall I borrow / to thank thee, dearest friend, / for this thy dying sorrow, / thy pity without end?" I love how in the early 1600's Paul Gerhardt summarizes his relationship with Jesus Christ as gratitude towards his dearest friend!
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed
down,
now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, thine only
crown:
how pale thou art with
anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage
languish
which once was bright as
morn!
What thou, my Lord, has
suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the
transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest
friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for
thee.
I love Martin Luther's text A Mighty Fortress is our God written around 1527. I love how the text speaks of God as our mighty fortress. He is our strength and help who has the strength to overpower our foe, Satan. We are in a war against the devil, but God's strength is greater than the devils and if we remember the Savior, no matter how much opposition we meet, Jesus Christ will prevail in helping us to overcome the temptations of satan.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A mighty fortress is our
God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills
prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are
great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength
confide,
our striving would be
losing,
were not the right man on
our side,
the man of God's own
choosing.
Dost ask who that may
be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
And though this world, with
devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God
hath willed
his truth to triumph through
us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell
him.
That word above all earthly
powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are
ours,
thru him who with us
sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.
Another interesting person who we talked briefly about in my class is Mechthild of Magdeburg, who was a medieval Mystic and visionary from the early 1200's. I have included my favorite quotes by her and a little youtube slideshow presentation.
"Whatever we know is absolutely nothing unless we love God."
"I cannot dance, Lord, unless you lead me. If you want me to leap with abandon you must intune the song." -Mechthild of Magdeburg
I LOVE THAT!!! Lord, lead me so that I may dance throughout my life!!!
