Alpine Green

As spring continues to emerge, green is everywhere to be seen.  I remember some 60 years ago, when my parents returned from a trip to Austria and Switzerland, how this is exactly what struck them as well--shades of green, some of which are truly fluorescent.

While not every image in this post will capture the luminescence of Alpine green, I think you'll find the theme taking hold as you enjoy this month's post.

Senior Missionary Conference - Switzerland

Every six months, the Senior Missionaries in the Alpine Mission enjoy a short retreat.  It's a nice chance to connect, make friends and share perspectives and learnings as we serve.  In May, we all gathered in the town of Iseltwald, located on Lake Brienz, just outside Interlaken in the Swiss Bernese Alps.  

Backing up just a bit...  

Our road trip to Iseltwald took us through 750 km of the most beautiful alpine provinces, including the Steiermark, Salzburg, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein, St. Gallen, Schwyz, Luzern, Obwalden and Bern.  Alas, the only downside was the rain that persisted most of the way.  We did have a wonderful bright spot as we stopped for dinner in the town of Feldkirch on the Liechtenstein and Swiss boarder.  This allowed for some wonderful reminiscing, since I had served there during the summer of 1977 as a young missionary.  We drove by the home where my companion and I lived in a rented room on the top floor.  Trudy and I enjoyed dinner at the nearby Shattenburg Castle.  Even before before I arrived in the 1970's, the castle was home to a historically-set restaurant, famous for Wienerschnitzel that stretches beyond both sides of the plate.  Now, nearly 50 years later, we ordered the same "greater than plate-size" Wienerschnitzel.  We also remembered bringing our children here as teenagers--a memorable experience!

We then made our way through Liechtenstein, where I was often bicycling as a young missionary.  We continued through Switzerland, arriving later that evening at Iseltwald.   The next morning, we attended one of the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just outside of Bern, Switzerland.  It was a wonderful experience.  The Swiss temple, dedicated in 1955, was the first in Europe.  I was able to attend on a few occasions as a young missionary and once or twice during travels since.  It was a joy to return to this "House of the Lord".  

During the last 6 or so years of my professional career, I had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with a brilliant scientist, Rich Knochenmuss, who lives just south of Bern.  We've become good friends with tremendous respect for each other's contributions to mass spectrometry.  Fortunately, Rich was able to meet us outside the temple, and we all went out for a delicious lunch.  Then, Rich, an avid glider plane pilot, took us to the glider port next to the airfield in Bern.  Rich shared with us how it is possible to stay aloft for virtually any length of time while traveling 100s of kilometers in waves of air rising off the Alps.  It is hard to imagine anything more exhilarating than sailing over unsurpassed grandure.

The following day, our Senior Missionary Retreat began with a cruise across Lake Brienz.  

After the memorable hour cruise, followed by a train ride back to our cars, many of us made our way to the Aare Gorge.  The gorge is a narrow passage through the mountains, bringing snow melt from the Bernese Alps northward, which ultimately flows into the Rhine.  

Following a delightful hike through the Gorge, together with our friends the Bradys, we drove up to Lauterbrunnen Valley, which translated means many springs.  This beautiful valley and the town that bears the same name lie beneath the famous Jungfrau Alp, which was covered in clouds on this day.  Our destination was Trümmelbach Falls.  Over what must have been countless millennia, the series of cascading falls became fully imbedded within the stone of the valley walls.  To enable viewing of this wonder of nature in the mid 1800's, determined Swiss engineers tunneled a network of passages through the rock.   Access to these tunnels begins with a ride on a cable-driven train, providing a major portion of the initial assent.  A closer look of the water in the falls reveals a distinct pale green color.  This color is attributed to the fine silt carved by the glaciers from the alpine rock. 

During our Retreat we also enjoyed some inspirational messages and a few lovely meals.  Then it was time to make our way back through the Alps to our home in Leoben, Austria.   We stopped for dinner on the north shore of Zeller See in the province of Salzburg -- nothing like a good Curry Wurst with Pommes (french fries).

Hiking Schneeberg

While there are several functions which make up our missionary service here in Austria, top of the list is to support church members, mostly now seniors, who live in the northern half of the Steiermark (Styria) province of Austria.  Our friend, Horst, grew up spending time in the mountains.  Owing to his "Wanderlust" (desire to hike), he and his wife Andrea invited us to spend an afternoon on Schneeberg (Snow Mountain), which is close to their home.  We travelled three-quarters of the way up the mountain through the forest on a cogwheel train.  At the top, we enjoyed beautiful views and hiking, good conversation, delicious food, and plenty of sunshine.

For many, hiking the Alps is more than just a past-time.  To watch serious hikers make their way up the mountain is something special to behold.

The meadows in the Alps are alive with radiant wild flowers.  Their colors are spectacular with many shapes and sizes.  

As a reward for the effort expended climbing, we are not far from a small café waiting to serve us a delicious dessert.  

Going Full Austrian with the Missionaries

Another important focus in our Missionary service is supporting the younger Missionaries, both Elders and Sisters.  We meet together with them each Monday to participate in a weekly review and training session.  This weekly meeting is also accompanied by lunch, for which Trudy goes the extra mile.  We also assist the young missionaries with apartment repairs and inspections.  Occasionally, we get together for an outing on their preparation day.  This last month, we arranged to visit a wonderful second-hand traditional clothing store - filled with dirndls, trachten jackets and lederhose.  All outfitted, we had a wonderful lunch of Wienerschnitzel and Kartoffelsalat (potato salad). Then, we enjoyed a great hike up to the top of a nearby ridge with a tower commemorating Kaiser Franz Joseph, who took the throne in 1848 at age 18 and ruled until his death in 1916 during the First World War.  He was widely revered and was a dedicated servant to his people.  

Branch Outing - Grüner See

Our small congregation plans an annual outing each summer.  This year, we went to Grünersee (Green Lake) and Kreuzteich (Cross Pond), located just 30 minutes from our Church meetinghouse.  Even before our arrival to Austria, we had heard about this location and became delighted at the prospects.   As the day approached, the weather remained somewhat mixed.  But, with some good fortune, clouds held the sun at bay, and we did not have to contend with rain.   Through this outing we developed a whole new sense about what it means to experience the color GREEN.

There is a Green Hill Far Away

After enjoying the beauty we experienced at Grünersee and Kreuzteich, the words of a beloved hymn keep coming to mind. Considering all the beautiful radiant green we enjoyed, this comes as no surprise.  The name of the hymn is "There is a Green Hill Far Away." 

There is a green hill far away

Without a city wall,

Where our dear Lord was crucified,

Who died to save us all.

We may not know, we cannot tell,

what pains he had to bear,

But we believe it was for us

He hung and suffered there.

There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin,

He only could unlock the gate

Of heaven and let us in.

Oh dearly, dearly has he loved,

And we must love him too,

And trust in his redeeming blood,

And try his works to do.

I was curious to know more about this hymn.  I read that it was written by Irish poet Cecil Frances Humphreys.  It was first published in Hymns for Little Children in 1848.  Over time, this hymn became loved by adults as well, as it simply and yet masterfully tells us from whence salvation comes.  

The last line gives wonderful advice.  If we, as God's children, can take this message to heart, imagine what a difference it would make in the world we live in.

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