Strattlingen

This is the Strattlingen Church where the Fellers attended in Thun Switzerland. The Thun Lake is the located behind the church.

Switzerland

This is the Jungfrau which looks down on the valley our ancestors came from. The church burned down in 1740 destroying their records. While here in the area we were able to research the cemeteries and Churches where they came from, and found hundreds of family names.

Switzerland is a beautiful country. We had an ARP training in Zurich where 120 members attendance representing the German speaking from Switzerland and Germany. With only 4 in the meeting needing translation the translator sat with them. Many questions were answered and we had several approach us after the meeting with even more.

Paris in the Spring

We have learned to ride the trains and found them to be a wonderful means of transportation in Europe. In Paris we were able to travel from one site to another in minutes. This being Easter the office was closed so we introduce the ARP program and then had a few days to enjoy the beautiful spring weather while site seeing. Versailles's, Louve, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triumph, and Des Champs Elysee. We enjoyed a delicious Easter Dinner at the Baker's home, their daughters took several of these pictures and were great energetic tour guides.

Eiffle Tower Light Show

Just imagine introducing a Chinese manual to a ward in Paris, well that is just what we did. Sunday in some wards are like a Tower of Babel reunion, for instance our international ward here in Frankfurt speaks some 33 languages but the ward we attend speaks German. Paris has some beautiful sites we were able to visit, here we are halfway up the Eiffle Tower when the light show started.

Coldest day in 10 years!

The day was beautiful with the sun shining people flocked to the frozen lake to ice skate and ski. In the middle of the lake is a light house that had been turned into a warming station. We are on a tower that over looked the area, look for the shadow of it in the video. From the tower we plotted a course to reach the sites we wanted to see before we caught the train back to Helsinki.

As you can see every time we seem to travel it's in snow and cold weather. We had to drag our luggage from the train station to the hotel through the snow. On this particular day it was the coldest it had been in 10 years in Tampere. However the meetings were very successful as we met with wonderful people. Dad didn't need a translator here, most of the European countries speak English.

Up date on the missionary; after three week of recovery while working with a family from Romania here in Germany, he was sent back to his mission. He attended our ward so we were able to witnessed his miraculous recovery. He looked great no swelling or bruising, to look at him you would never know what he had experienced.


We were invited to do APR training in Finland, one in Helsinki and the other in Tampere. On our flight over we met this group of singers who had just returned from Florida. They performed one of their countries favorites for you to enjoy.

The World needs Your Help

We look forward to the Zone Conference's which are held in the chapel next to our office. On Jan. 28 we heard from our mission Pres. Ninow and his wife. The meetings are in English and translated into German. At the end of the meeting Pres. asked to have a kneeling prayer. With tears in his eye's he then told us that a missionary from the USA serving in Romania had been hit by a car the following day and had been flown into Frankfurt, Germany that morning for surgery. As the faith of the missionaries was united in prayer we shed tears for the recovery of this young elder. The major bones in his face were reconstructed in 4 hours of surgery, with an incision from one ear over his forehead to the other ear. As of today the Elder is doing very well, but could use your faith and prayers in his recovery. The Dr's office is next door to ours. He watches over 37 mission in various countries, with different time zones and 24 languages. He too is a missionary and has been called to serve for 18 months. We all greatly appreciate his faith and his skill.

Last year 1.5 million dollars was spent on projects in 3rd world countries of the Europe Area.

The humanitarian missionaries are also next door to us and like to share their success stories.
Atmit is a powder that was created by BYU to feed starving people. A million dollar Atmit project recently went to the country of Ethiopia. Now when all you little grandchildren earn a dollar and give it to humanitarian, that dollar will help to cleans wells, provide wheelchairs, build schools, vaccinate against measles, feed many hungry starving people and buy goats.
Let's see if you can earn $1.

News Letter is Created

In Jan. Dad created a newsletter for the ARP program, and sent it out to the Stake Pres., Bishops, facilitator's and council members. 40, e-mail addresses were created. The next day he had three new requests from Bishops in other countries wanting to be added to the list. As these programs are created they can be tracked so that the information about groups can be shared with members. We see this newsletter as an opportunity to encourage and support the programs as they now begin to operate through the German speaking countries. We count our blessings to be apart of this great work.

Flight from Sweden

After a successful meeting in Sweden with Priesthood leaders on the Addiction Recovery Program, we received two invitations one from Finland and one from Denmark. I felt the spirit of the program as Dad presented it and saw the acceptance of leaders. Heavenly Fathers loves his children and has a plan for their recovery from addictive behaviors, through the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We invite you to fly from Sweden back to Germany with us. Buckle your seat belt and experienced a bitter cold wind off the East Sea as we took off.

Mona a Frequent Flyer

The passenger next to us traveled very well. Her name is Mona and she didn't want the chewing gum I offered to help with the pressure in her ears.

Up in the Air

The weather was overcast but once we got above the clouds the sun was shining and the flight a little smoother. In ninety minutes, after a cheese sandwich and a glass of juice we will land in Germany.

Back in Germany

The landing was a little rough but here we are back in Germany. Did you enjoy flying with us?

Missionaries Morning Devotional

Most mornings the missionaries, stand out on their balcony and sing a hymn in German. Since our office is directly across from them we open our window, to clap and applaud their efforts. Today is transfer day for the Elders and so the companionship parts company. The one in the middle has been here with us for 9 months and is headed to Dusseldorf. They are a great group of young men. We attend the same ward and sing in the choir together. Once in awhile after a dinner invitation from a member we drive them home. Maybe one of our grand-sons or grand-daughters will serve a mission here in Germany. Notice the snow falling and hear their last words, "have a good life."

New German Translation

We have some very exciting news that we have been anxiously anticipating. Friday Jan. 10 we received word from SLC that the German translation of the Addiction Recovery Manual was finally available in pdf format. That manual had been in translation for two years. Without the manual doors opened and 11 of the 14 Stake Presidents had invited us for training. Within three weeks from the North to the South of Germany we made visits and then prayed for the translation. We have been given permission to take it into Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, and all through Germany. Friday morning when Grant sent out e-mails to the 11 Stake Presidents we had previously visited, he immediately received 3 responding with requests for training of implementation. This week we go to Sweden with a presentation and next week to Nurnberg for training. We are so grateful to see recovery and healing coming to bless the lives of members. In celebration we give you the New Years fireworks from Germany which lasted 45 min. after which we couldn't see anything because of all the smoke.

Frankenstein Castle

All the castles here in Germany have a legend of one kind or another. This one was fun to walk around, and see all the beautiful stone walls, if they could speak wouldn't you like to hear the story they could tell?











The castle has not been restored...and so the atmosphere was fitting for the legend. Grant, Joe and Connie sitting in the chairs, that were quite unique in the way they were made.

Frankenstein Laboratory

Weddings are now performed in this room which was once used as a laboratory. The color Prussian blue was discovered here. The room was locked by a large Iron door, and I had to pull really hard on the door to get Grandpa out.

Frankenstein Castle

After Christmas with the office still closed we teamed with our missionary friends the Durances to visit several castles in the area. You will enjoy this one because a book was written about it 1818 by Mary Shelly at the age of 18, and was considered to be the first science fiction novel of it's time. Her mother worked as a secretary for the Grimm Brothers, who traveled through Germany collecting legends and heard the legend of this castle from her mother.