Underground grotto of Falkenburg

Last Saturday when we went to Holland for the Memorial Day Celebration we had a chance to visit a grotto under the town of Falkenburg. It goes back about 2000 years when the Romans would cut huge blocks of sandstone out of the ground to build the castle on top of the hill. All that digging created some large passage ways. During world war ll it became a shelter that could hold 18000 people. In the 1970's before the iron curtain came down, the locals decided the shelter might be needed again so they added modern restrooms and showers and filled it with 5000 bunks figuring the people could sleep in shifts. There are even underground springs to supply drinking water. We took a train ride through the cave and saw all the art work on the walls. Along with carvings, there were many murals. (I'm sorry these pictures turned out a little blurry but the darn guide just kept driving) The bats on the ceiling kind of made me nervous but I tried not to let them bother me too much. We really enjoyed the cool ride knowing we would be spending the following day in the sun.

As we drove through Limburg I was reminded of my Father telling me about working in the coal mines there when he and my Mom were first married. At that time Germany had occupied the Netherlands. As we drove through the town and saw the many mine entrances I could not help but wonder in which one he might have worked.

American Military Cemetery

I told you before about our visit to Margraten in the Netherlands. It is one of the cemeteries here in Europe for those soldiers who died to help bring peace to Europe in 1945. Yesterday we were able to attend a ceremony that is repeated each Memorial day weekend. We drove up to Margraten for the event. We watched as more than 70 wreaths were placed. There are 8,301 graves with crosses or Jewish stars and a wall with over 1700 names of men missing in action at the site. All in all, there were over 100 thousand young boys who gave their lives to liberate Europe. A representative for the Dutch Queen was present and President Woodland our Mission President was able to present a wreath in behalf of the church. The whole ceremony was very moving. It was great to hear the national anthem played and to see the U.S. flag waving along side the Dutch flag. Many of the people at the ceremony were native Europeans who are still very grateful for what the cemetery represents. I was surprised to see so many there. Sitting in the sun for over 4 hours was not great but I will always remember the day. At the end of the ceremony two fighter jets from the Dutch Air force flew directly over us followed by fighter jets from the U.S. Air force stationed in the U.K. performing the "missing man formation." It really took my breath away. I am so grateful for those young men and their families back home who made the ultimate sacrifice for Europe and especially our family.

Update on Vivian

Things are looking better for Vivian. The mission leader in one of the wards in Belgium offered to pick up Vivian and her children yesterday. He had to drive out of his way an hour coming and going but was happy to do it. He will not be able to do this every week but will try as often as possible. Vivian loved church, especially Relief Society, the two young boys did very well in Primary and her 15 year old daughter was welcomed in Young Womens. Vivian is sooo eager to be baptized that she has already asked her non-member friends to come and support her. She has even bought the dress she wants to wear during the baptism. We have seen some great miracles since coming here and we are grateful to be a very small part of it. Her cute little son is very lovable and I loved spending time with him. He took a tumble off the bunk bed while staying with his dad for the weekend a couple of weeks ago and he is pretty proud of his cast.

Please help us pray for Vivian

We really need all your prayers with this one. Vivian investigated the church 20 years ago and did not join. She married a man who was not someone any woman needs, enough said. Now she is alone with 3 children. All three with ADHD We started teaching her again and now she asked if she could be baptized NOW. The trouble is that she lives in a small corner of Zeeland and hours away from a church bldg. The bus will not cross the border on Sundays to Belgium so now we have no way to get her to church. Please help us pray for her. We really need a miracle to find some way to get her there. We live almost 2 hours away so we can not pick her up with her 3 children. Even if we were closer our car is only a small sardine can. I know the Lord will help find a way for her so please help us in this.. Love you all.........

Fun night in the E.R.

No, not us. We were not the sick ones, but one of the "boys" was. Cute Elder Carter started having stomach pains right after church. It progressively got worse as the day wore on. They finally ended up coming over to our place because everyone knows that to feel better you have to crash on "Mom's" couch. I tried all the motherly things, but it did not help. Finally Ben and Elder Jacobs gave him a blessing. The two headed home but about 30 min. later we got a scared Elder on the phone and we just all ended up going to the E.R. Here the E.R. is called "spoed" (speed) only no speed was practiced. I wonder just how many people die here in the waiting room while papers are filled in, coffee breaks are finished and somebody finally decides that the American kid in the waiting room needs to get checked on. About an hour later, blood drawn, I.V. in place and the Dr. back from his nap. The Dr. starts poking him in the stomach and makes a statement like: "I think he might have a ruptured stomach or something like that"..... Call the specialist. Take X-Rays and wait some more, another bottle of pain killer and no change. By this time he is climbing the walls and I am praying like any mother would while watching her son in pain. Finally a cute nurse about the same age as the Elders comes walking into the room smiling from ear to ear and holding up an enema. You should have heard the moaning from Elder Carter and the hilarious laughter from Elder Jacobs. The kid was backed up, no ruptured anything and blood tests were normal. Another bottle of Painkiller and "go ahead and go home" Have you ever seen a drunk Elder weaving through a parking lot? A sight to behold. Good thing it was dark.

We keep nagging the guys to stop for meals and to drink tons of water but do they listen? No!
These fellows are no different than some of my kids. Who wants to listen to Mom and way.

I heard a statement that really made me laugh and is so true. "Raising teenagers (and Elders) is like nailing Jell-o to a tree".

Trash, Trash, Trash

I just want to talk about garbage today. Not that it is my favorite subject but just because it has taken up a lot of my time. Let me explain. Recycling has really come to Antwerpen, something my Rachel would be proud of. We have so many categories here however that it makes my head swim.
1. Blue bags are for cans, plastic bottles and milk cartons.
2. Green bags are for what I would put down the garbage disposer back home like peelings or left over food. (Boy do I miss my disposal)
3.Cardboard and paper go in a box and tied up or taped.
4.Glass goes into the dumpsters at the end of the block, one for colored and another for clear.
5.Green tall cans are for grass clippings and weeds. (we don't have a yard but work in the yard of a member who needs help so I still get to use them.)
6.White bags are for the rest of what ever does not go in the ones mentioned above.
7.Yellow bags are for anyone who exceeds the 2 white bag limit.
The bags can only be purchased at the corner grocery store because it has to have your community stamp on it. They cost 75 cents each for a tall kitchen can size. The yellow bags cost twice as much.

O.K. so I am boring you but I just had to vent. I think we should just go back to the old days when people burned their garbage in the can out back. Life was much more simple then.

Happy Mother's day

Happy Mother's day to all of the women in my life who have taught me so much about being a mother and Thank You to my children who make me proud to be their MOM. Even being this far away I feel their love. Thank you all.

The flu has hit Antwerpen in the last week. Not the Mexican one but the run of the mill kind. It has been interesting to see the difference in cultures while here. Back home when someone in the ward is sick, the list to sign up for meals to be brought in to the "sick" family goes around in Relief Society and gets filled instantly. I remember Nancy W. complaining that the list always started on the right side of the room and the sisters on the left never got a chance to sign up because by the time the list got around to their side it was full. She asked that it start on the left once in a while. (The filled list never stopped her however) Yesterday it was announced that Sister "So n' So" and her husband were down with the flu and she would probably love a phone call or even a card to let her know we were thinking about her. Hello?............a phone call? so people don't eat while they are ill? When I brought in food to Sister "So n' So" you should have heard the Thank Yous and she asked why in the world would I do that, it is just "Not Done" here? We have some serious conversion needed here, and this crazy Americanized Dutch gal will not stop until they get the picture. I will always be grateful for the good examples of the sisters "back home"

Not only have my children let me know how much I am loved this Mother's day, but so have the Elders. We have some great warriors here and I am proud to by their mission MOM. They appreciate everything I prepare and even come back for more. This week I will probably be mending more than cooking. These guys are really hard on their suits and I just dread having to mend anything they have "tried" to mend themselves. Do they not know that suit pants cannot be sewn up with white or red thread and that torn shirt pockets should not be stapled? Oh well!!

I just hope that when my grandchildren go on their missions that some Senior couple Mom will be there for them.

Keukenhof

Welcome to Keukenhof . In the 15th century the area on which Keukenhof now stands was a stretch of nature owned by Jacoba van Beieren. Besides being used for hunting, the estate was also used to gather herbs for the kitchen at the castle-hence the name Keukenhof or Kitchen garden.

Jacoba van Beieren was born in 1401 and died in 1436. She was Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Henegouwen . In her brief life she married four times and also spent a number of years in prison. She had waged war during a great part of her life. She even fought against one of her former husbands. In 1433 she had to renounce all her counties. She retired and died of tuberculosis in Castle Teylingen not far from Keukenhof.

The opening of the gardens each year is a big event. The queen usually comes and opens the exhibit officially. Each year the gardens have a theme and this year it is Amerika. The links between the Netherlands and the U.S. go back a long way. In 1609 Henry Hudson on behalf of the Dutch East India Company stepped ashore on what is now Manhattan and New Amsterdam was established. Later the name was changed to New York. The city of Harlem was named after Haarlem and Wall Street is derived from the Waal river.

During World War II most of the tulip bulbs in the Netherlands were boiled and eaten as you would potatoes. The Germans did not care for them so it was a great staple for the Dutch for some time.

This beautiful floral exhibition has been repeated every year for the last 60 years. I have heard about the tulip fields most of my life but this is the first time I was actually able to visit. The pictures just do not do it justice. We drove through miles of tulip fields every color of the rainbow and it was a great day.