The whole reason we went to Germany was to go to the temple. The temple is a special place of worship in our church. We try to go as much as possible. But living in Qatar has made that a very difficult task. The closest operating temple is in Ukraine, but it's not much closer than the Frankfurt, Germany temple. Rome would probably be the shortest flight, but it's still under construction. So our ward (congregation) is assigned to go to the Frankfurt Temple. That doesn't mean we can't go to other temples, but it does mean that since the Frankfurt temple has housing for those who travel far, we have priority for that housing.
Anyway, there were 27 members of our ward with us at the temple. Steve went early in the morning and we asked the youth to watch our kids so that we could go together with the whole ward when everyone went. The workers at the temple were so kind. They had everything ready for us in English. Going to the temple was so rejuvenating and peaceful. I am so glad that we were able to go. There's nothing like the peace of the temple. And it was more meaningful to share the experience with members of our ward, and for some of them this was their first time in the temple.
This was my first time going to a temple outside the US. It was another testimony to me that the gospel is the same in every language and in every country. Culture plays no role in the doctrine, and it is for everyone.
After a few sessions in the temple, we all met as a group to go have dinner together. The sister in charge of finding places to eat did get an address for the restaurant, so we had quite a time trying to get to the restaurant. As it was very cold, we all piled into the cars of those who rented a car. Someone at the temple tried to give directions to the restaurant, but the map on the back of the temple schedule card didn't have all of Friedrichsdorf, and there was construction which prevented us from going most direct way. After about 45 minutes of driving around and stoping to ask for directions a few times, we finally found the restaurant. We enjoyed good company and good german food.
We flew home on Saturday. I wasn't impressed with Lufthansa's check in process. You only had the option of self check in, which is normally fine. But we hadn't had access to the internet and couldn't check in online or check flight info and I didn't print that part out for some reason. To check in, you could put in your flight confirmation code or scan your passport. But the lady helping said that it has trouble with American passports. So we had to go to the desk, but that meant talking to the guy who checks to make sure you already have your boarding pass before dropping off your luggage. It was a bit of a hassle, but we made it.
There was a little play area for the kids near our gate, which helped pass the time.
The flight wasn't too bad. Big E and Miss A did well. We got home around 9:30 pm and went straight to bed, not ready to jump back into work and routine. But we had a fabulous trip. I never thought I'd be able to travel and see other countries.
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