We had a busy four days in the office this week meeting with new contacts from Greece and Italy online. In addition to our existing countries: Italy, Malta, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, we are also temporarily supporting humanitarian work in Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania until a couple can come to take the Nelsons place. The missionaries that were scheduled to arrive have health problems and cannot come.
Evening activities this week included our last pickleball game and dinner with Nelsons and a lovely dinner at Coraline’s with Nelsons and Mullecks. Coraline is the humanitarian coordinator employee that we report to. She is dear to us. We enjoyed getting to know her friend Nikki who was visiting her from the US.
Ed’s birthday celebration spilled over into the weekend. After birthday cake at the office, we headed out with Southwick’s on a road trip.
We spent a day in Ingolstadt at the Audi factory enjoying the museum and factory tour. It was an amazing experience to be right on the factory floor with cars on conveyor belts on either side of us and above us. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed. They assemble 2,000 cars per day. It takes 35 hours to manufacture each one.
We spent the evening walking around Old Town Ingolstadt
On the way to Ingolstadt, we stopped at three villages that Debbie’s ancestors are from. We wish we knew more details about their lives. We wonder what prompted them all to immigrate to the Colonies in the New World.
Sincheim
Debbie’s 7th great grandparents, Ursula Anna Muhlenhauser and Hans Michael Pfautz were married in 1702 in a church on this site. They had 11 children. She died at age 89 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America. The first church was built on this site in 1450. In 1556 Lutheran doctrine was introduced in the region. In 1712 a dividing wall was built to separate the nave for the reformed church from the choir for the Catholics. This was common practice in all the churches we visited in the Baden-Wurttemberg region on this trip. In 1780 the church was demolished and rebuilt. By 1967 the dividing wall was removed and the Catholic congregation moved to the St James church. We happened upon a group of children rehearsing for a program here. They were singing beautifully. It was tricky to research what protestant church would have been in existence in 1702 when Ursula and Hans would have married. When I stepped into this church, I knew this was the one. I got goose bumps and felt a wash of the spirit. It is a feeling of walking on familiar, sacred ground. The connection we feel to our ancestors is real.
Bonfeld
Another set of Debbie’s 7th great grandparents, Anna Barbara Bohm and Hans Heinrich Neff were married in a church on this site in 1704. The original 15th century church was rebuilt in 1775. Anna and Hans were the parents of 11 children. She died at the age of 84 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America.
Biberach
In 1734 Anna Marie Bentz married Hans David Billmann (Debbie’s 6th great grandparents) here. This Gothic choir church was first documented in 1496. The current nave was added in 1829, From 1685-1863 it was also used by Catholics for worship. Protestants and Catholics share worship space in many churches to this day. Hans and Anna had 9 children. Hans died at the age of 48 in Northampton, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America.
Nurnberg
On the way back to Frankfurt we stopped in Nurnberg. We began at an exhibition at the documentation center in Congress Hall. This huge building is big enough for an audience of 50,000 people.
We walked along Grosse Strasse with a lake on either side marveling at the size of this complex. At 200 feet wide the Great Road was big enough to be used as a runway by the Allies after the war.
Zeppelin Field was the site of the Nazi’s biggest rallies, including those famously filmed by Leni Riefenstahl.
Across town we arrived at Nurnberg’s Palace of Justice to see Courtroom 600, but it was closed for the day. It was in this courtroom that 21 Nazi war criminals stood trial before an international tribunal of judges appointed by the four victorious countries. After two years of trials and deliberations, 11 Nazis were sentenced to death and the rest to life imprisonment.
We spent a couple of hours walking through Old Town Nurnberg. When Nurnberg boomed in the 13th century, it consisted of two distinct walled towns separated by the river. Eventually the middle wall was taken down and this market square became the center of the newly united city. The beautiful fountain brought clean drinking water into the city. Frauenkirche is located on the site of a former synagogue . Inside there is a Star of David on the floor. When Nurnberg’s towns were separate, Jewish residents were encouraged to live in a swampy area close to the river, outside the walls. When the town merged and this land became valuable Charles IV allowed his subjects to force out the Jews- 600 were killed in the process- a somber reminder that Hitler was not the first person to persecute Jews.
On a happier note, the Southwick’s are foodies like us. Note to self: a wurst salad includes no lettuce. As you can see it is a shredded bologna type ‘meat’ with some onions, pickles and tomatoes.
We did like the rostbratwurst (grilled sausage) and Elisenlebkuchen gingerbread, famous in Nurnberg and the good food in Ingolstadt.
Ed enjoyed his birthday weekend. Since he was born on July 24th he shares his birthday with Pioneer Day celebrations. We honor our pioneer ancestors.
PIONEERS
by Carol Lynn Pearson
My people were Mormon pioneers.
Is the blood still good?
They stood in awe as truth
Flew by like a dove
And dropped in a feather in the West
Where truth flies, you follow
If you are a pioneer.
I have searched the skies
And now and then
Another feather has fallen.
I have packed the handcart again
Packed it with the precious things
And thrown away the rest.
I will sing by the fires at night
Out there on uncharted ground
Where I am my own captain of tens
Where I blow the bugle
Bring myself to morning prayer,
Map out the miles
And never know when or where
Or if at all
I will finally say,
“This is the place.”
I face the plains
On a good day for walking.
The sun rises
And the mist clears.
I will be all right:
My people were
Mormon pioneers.
With love, Elder & Sister Lamb (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
Lambs in Central Europe 