I am going to Slovakia for a week!! Ahhh!

February 25th

I cannot believe the amazing weather we are having here! Today I was working outside in short sleeves. We were preparing greenhouse #3 for the thousands of geraniums we will transfer to it tomorrow. I love this work. For some reason I was not feeling well today, and tried to drink a lot of water. Tonight we are invited to Simon and Mirjam Kulling’s house for supper. I am excited to have some one on one time with them. They are both quite alike, quiet and sober. Simon serves a lot at dinner times, and Mirjam always works tirelessly in the kitchen. They are married for one year this month.

We had such funny experiences since I wrote last. This one in particular made Hannah I laugh until we were simply weeping. About an hour before we were to leave the Toblers, we sat down on the floor in our room to debate whether or not we should walk and carry our baggage to the train station, or splurge and take the bus. (We are always pinching Francs here.) :] The up side was that it was another 25 minute walk, and we could save money and get more fresh air and exercise. The down side was being 2.50 short and looking stupid to Toblers and all of St. Gallen, hefting our unwieldy luggage down the hilly street. We decided for the sake of propriety we should probably take the bus. Then we dug out our wallets and dumped out whatever change we had. Oh dear! 10 cents short! Now we faced the decision of being completely tacky and asking for .10, or being completely tacky and walking with our unwieldy luggage! Hannah said in her panicked tone, “Becky, search again. Are you SURE you don’t have any more change? I only have a 100 franc bill!” (And on the bus you have to have exact change.) I proceeded to shake my wallet up side down…no luck. We began laughing. Then laughing harder, and soon we were sitting there with tears rolling down our cheeks wondering how we were going to break it our hosts! I hope with all my heart that Chris did not somehow hear us, because a moment later he knocked on our partway open door and said with a smile, “By the way, don’t worry, I will drive you down to the train station with your luggage.” He probably thought we were these horrid American moochers - the way we ate and slept at his home! Right as he dropped us off and was driving away, I told Hannah we should be very careful crossing the busy street so that we were not made into mush right in his rearview mirror! That would be so horrible!

March 2nd

This is bad. I have not written for a week!! I have ever so much to write about, and have been so busy that I have been unable to sit and just do it! OK, so I have an hour. Let’s see what all I can get said. :]

When we got on the train leaving St. Gallen, Hannah and I positioned ourselves according to our tastes. I am really not very fond of cruising backwards through mountains and tunnels, and it doesn’t bother her. I don’t think that matches either of our personalities, but so it is. :] So after a stop or two, this sweaty soldier gets on, and sits down behind us. After a moment or two Hannah and I met eyes, and then started smiling. I mouthed, “Does he smell?” and she nods vigorously. We breathed a sigh of relief when he got off a stop later. Then we groaned. A man next to the train takes a long last drag on his cigarette, and climbs in the doors to our compartment. Not only did he come and plop in next to us, he brought his dog. That combo was worse than the soldier. I don’t get why they don’t pipe fresh air into the trains like they do in airplanes! We decided it was going to make a funny memory, and began to enjoy the amazing views. The air was much clearer (outside!) on this trip, so we got a lot of mountainous views. :] When the cigarette man got up on our second to last stop, we were so happy. Then guess what. An old hippie and his wife who had been on the utmost peaks it seemed also chose our cozy little compartment and with a sweaty sigh snuggled down across from us. The old geezer grunted as he bent over and unlaced his hiking boots!!!! It was just too much. We could not imagine what all we would smell before Uznach, and were glad to get off and wait in the fresh air on a bench for our ride back to Guetli.

It was fun observing people get off the train. Several dudes were limping around in ski boots, and trying to not knock anyone on the head as they turned around. The weather was perfect, and the view of the mountains amazing. Hannah and I were so happy when Manfred came cruising in with his wife Heidi and our German mama Inge. They had just dropped their children off for a week of skiing school. So as we drove through the winding hills back home, we regaled them with stories of our weekend and heard what all happened at the Guetli. We drove through a little village called Hirzel that was the hometown of Johanna Spyri who wrote the book Heidi. I guess there is a museum there about her life. That book is very popular here. I began bouncing on my seat as we got closer in eagerness to see everyone again! I told Hannah it would be a good sign if Ruedi came and shook our hands at supper, and HE DID! (He is just sorta the welcome-take-care-of-guests-run-the-place-when-Manuel-is-gone kind of guy.) Not only that, he said they missed us! Sigh!

We helped to clean up supper, and then took a walk in the dark with Rebecca Siegfried. We have both gotten so close to her. She is sort of a dry almost melancholy person, but very family-ish and fun. She is the one whose mom is Australian. Her dad is Swiss, and met her mom in New Zealand when they were young and wild and not believers. After some years of friendship and traveling, they married and lived in Australia for a year before moving to Switzerland. Neva then went to language school to learn German, and also learned Swiss German. They then proceeded to have 8 children, and she spoke only the German languages to them! I can’t imagine not speaking to your children in your own mother tongue! Now they all speak English, but not fluently. Only her dad has an Australian accent like Neva when he speaks English. It’s so cute! Anyway, back to our walk. The men have all been in the forests cutting trees the past weeks, and someone did not clean up the trail because we walked right into a huge branch. It was too funny!

When we got back to Guetli, we saw the lights on in the basement, and I told Rebecca how absolutely fun it is to spy on Guetli at night! She has a fun streak and it didn’t take much convincing. I of course was the one brave enough to peer around the corner when we opened the basement door and there was Simon, (Little Ruedi) Nati, Mirjam Hage and Helene singing away in German. I was indignant that they were singing without inviting us, and stalked in singing. They all started grinning, and beckoned us all in to sing with them. And so for the next hour we all had Gemeinschaft together singing hymns. Daniela (the young woman from Germany who is teaching Tabitha) joined us. I love those spontaneous times, and will miss them all so much!!

On Monday the 25th we worked a normal day here. I seeded all the flats for the week early since I would be gone most of the week. It was fun chatting with Daniela and Rahel about my weekend. During our break time Hannah disappeared on some surprise excursion that Mirjam had planned for the kitchen gals, and I just went back out to the greenhouse instead of a break. I wasn’t sure if she would reappear and didn’t want to be off walking if she was. That evening they let me off early to get cleaned up though, because Simon and Mirjam invited Hannah and I for dinner!

It was such a special evening. Neither of us had been to their little flat, and were overwhelmed with the charm! It is in one of the large typical chalet houses across the street from us, and is one large room. The room was lit by candlelight, and decorated beautifully. They had their bed behind a sheer curtain framed with a bookcase and dresser, and in a large wardrobe typical of Switzerland they had a small sink and pantry and coffee maker! In another corner was one of those cozy corner table thingys and a desk. They treated us like guests of honor, and we had such a restful and wonderful evening with them. They shared their testimonies and love story with us, and we looked through their wedding album and listened to their wedding music. They are married a year this month, and it was so fun recognizing everyone in their wedding pictures! The Guetli had so many fun things they did for their wedding reception - games, skits, food that cannot be described, and flowers! A bunch of the young men dressed up with HUGE bows around their necks and played brass instruments and rode along as Heinz Hage (dressed up like a real English gentlemen) drove Simon and Mirjam around in a horse drawn wagon pulled by a tractor of all things! And of course they had to walk through the poles held up by children adorned with fruit and flowers and all that Swiss stuff. It was so intriguing to look at, and especially fun because they were our friends! Simon also had lived in Israel for a while doing volunteer work before he was married, and stayed in a hotel in Haifa that I visited when I was in Israel! We ended the evening with scripture and prayer, and went to bed feeling very satisfied!!

Tuesday the 26th was such a busy day that I can hardly think where to start. We had been working on preparations in the greenhouse to move the 10,000 geraniums we have been hand tending to another house, and around 10 o’clock several helpers from all over the Guetli arrived. It was incredible, I think we got it done in 3 ½ hours. We do the fireman hand-to-hand pass the tray thing. It was a warm and sunny day, and I was encouraged to take pictures. I began to have pain after a couple of hours, and then helped Lena Jegge arrange the plants on the tables. It felt like everything I did that day, I hurried. During our break time, Hannah and I took Inge and Rahel’s bikes, and biked to Knonau to check out Bea Hauser’s souvenir shop. She told us that we should take the scenic way home via Mettmenstetten, and we agreed. I of course am never lost, and always know where and how to get home, but I do make mistakes. :] We turned at the wrong place and ended up backtracking, and instead of the 10 minute ride back to Guetli that it should have been, it was 45! It was lovely scenery, and we could not stop laughing at my mistake. I loved it though. Almost every trail has a crystal clear stream alongside it, and there are people and dogs and children, and trains and bells and flowers.

I had a few more hours in the greenhouse, and then we left to get ready for Bern. Rahel and Studious Simon and Daniela go every Tuesday to Bern for a Bible Study, so Hannah and I arranged it to go along and visit Tante Martha for the evening. Simon took the train in because we had to go via Hasliberg since Marvelous Markus forgot to take something there the other day. It was a wonderful mistake. :] Not only did we get off of work early, we had a enjoyable drive together to a lovely out of the way place. The mountains were exceptionally pretty, and I can see the landscape progressively changing as we live here. It is getting greener and greener, and I am noticing waterfalls and things that I did not see before when it was snowy. Rahel made the condition with Markus that we would go if he would buy us ice cream, and he gave them money for it! So in an adorable village just below Hasliberg we stopped at a Volg gas station and bought little ice creams. Ice cream is so expensive here. After Wisconsin, it feels almost criminal to purchase it for such a high price here. But we really did not feel guilty eating it. :]

In Hasliberg everyone was surprised and happy to see us, and Frau Kugler sat us down for a cup of coffee and gave us each a chocolate bar. Never have I benefited so well from someone’s mistake! We really were late, and soon headed out. You guys would not believe the lovely country I drive through on a regular basis here! There was a traffic accident outside of Bern which made us quite late, and Rahel called Simon on his cell (or as they call it, “his handy”) and described Martha Gerber and asked him to find her and explain why we girls were late. (The train station was our meeting place.) Apparently he did, so she was not a complete nervous wreck when we arrived. :] It was a cool rainy night, and she wanted to treat us to the city, so we (much to her delight) followed her around and did whatever she told us. If she said turn here, we turned. If she wanted us to run, we ran. :] It was fun. She picked out a restaurant right under the capitol and treated us to fondue!! I could not believe I was in a real Swiss restaurant eating fondue next to the capitol of the country! We ate outside in a winter porch, surrounded by glass and covered with a tarp. All of the tables had candles lit on them and each chair had a sheepskin you could either sit on or cover up with since it was chilly in there. Smoking is still allowed in restaurants here, and people do it in force, so we were glad to be out there. Aunt Martha chatted away, asking questions and then changing the subject before we even answered her. She makes me laugh SO hard, all the time.

When they brought the fondue out, the flame was too high, and we could not figure out how to lower it. Tante Martha was about to go over to a table of Russians nearby to ask them to please fix it for us, and Hannah and I desperately begged her not to. She declares loudly, “I believe in asking for help!” We had to eat our fondue fast because the cheese would have burned, and it just went along with all the rushing we did that day. :] It was SO fun. Then she told us she had a dessert for us at her apartment, and we had to go out there and eat it. Because it was raining, we were going to take the tram, but when we got to the tram stop, it would have been a 7 minute wait, so we decided to walk closer before mounting. Meanwhile we passed a little wooden shack that smelled wonderfully, and Martha asked us if we ever had Roasted Chestnuts!! (Are you reading this, Leah, Keith and Anna K?) They call them Maronis here, and sell them on the city street corners. She bought a small bag of them, and we ran through the wet streets, we ate them. They have a little pocket on the brown paper bag (a pocket sized edition :]) for the shells. I was enthralled. All those Christmas songs about chestnuts roasting over open fires, and I had never had one. They are so good! Almost the texture of a mushroom, a tiny bit slimy, yet airy and warm and smoky tasting. Eeew. That was a gross sounding description. They say you either love them or hate them.

By this time we had arrived at her house, and we had a nice little dessert time, arguing how we were going to get back to the train station. Hannah and I didn’t want to pay for the tram, and wanted Martha to come back with us since it is free for her. She didn’t want to, and we were debating what to do when Simon called and told her in his serious way that they would pick us up at her house. Whew! Then we relaxed and ate the cute little mocha torte she had bought for us, and some sparkling apple juice and chocolate. We went to the basement so she could play us some of the songs she has been learning at her piano lessons, and we then sang hymns for a while. Back up in her room we sat on her bed and read scripture and prayed together. Martha decided she was tired, laid down, and rested, asking occasional questions in the silence while we waited for Simon to call when they arrived. Suddenly she jumped up and grabbed her new treasure and started buffing my nails. It was such a fun fun evening. On the ride home I plied Simon with questions to keep him awake while he drove because the others were drifting off. I heard his testimony and some about Swiss army life.

Wednesday the 27th I worked the morning in the greenhouse, but Hannah’s cousin Rebekka arrived around 3 to take us to Basel with her. After showing her around Guetli we loaded up and left to tour Luzern. It is a perfect Swiss town, I loved it! It is framed by mountains, has a lovely lake in it, and a famous bridge. The shops down the cobblestone streets are all charming, and overall it is just a nice town. I really like Rebekka, she felt like I had known her my whole life! She treated us to a hot chocolate in a little café, and then we headed out for Basel, nearly an hour away. When we got to her flat, she quickly mixed up a plum tart, and we visited in the kitchen while it baked. They have these cookbooks here called Betty Bossi, and everyone has it, just like we have Betty Crocker! We poured over her cookbooks, and heard her love story about how she and Martin got together. By this time it was quite late, and after looking at all our family pictures we went to bed.

Thursday morning we slept in and the had a leisurely breakfast together. Hannah and I packed all of our stuff up, and then we went to visit their great aunt Martha Ryser who lives right near Chrischona. (We stopped at a Coop quickly for Hannah to get some tulips for her.) I took some pictures for the Loewens so that they could see her. :] Then Rebekka took us to the St. Chrischona Bible School she and Deborah attend/ed. Rebekka (25) graduated last year after a 3 year course, and her fiance has a few months left. Deborah (27) has another year left, I believe. We saw the church they will marry in, and Rebekka asked if I could help photograph her wedding. I was glad for the chance to scope out the territory and check into lighting and stuff. :] We met her boyfriend who is very tall and handsome (and looks just like the actor Jim C. from the Count of Monte Cristo) and is German. Deborah came breezing in all happy and gushing at lunch time and I liked her immediately. She also felt like an old friend right away, and doesn’t look a bit like her sister. Rebekka is tall and thin, dignified yet “real”, and has straight black hair and blue eyes. Deborah almost reminded me of Lanae Bontrager. She has curly auburn hair, is freckled and white and soft and warm and sparkly. We had a nice lunchtime together and then headed out to our Basel with them.

They are such sisters! Deborah takes one look at Rebekka’s car, and tells her that it’s too dirty. Then she told us the story of her and her boyfriend Adrian, and stops long enough to announce that the car stinks. We parked a ways out and walked into the city, and Rebekka treated us to a ride in a boat across the River Rhine. Oh dear, I must finish this at a later date.

March 2nd

OK, this is rather abrupt, but I need to quickly send this, because I am not going to have internet for 8 days. I am going to Slovakia! Surprise! It came about quickly, and we are not going to Italy as we first planned. Hannah had had it on her heart to visit her relatives in Switzerland more, and was feeling guilty about going to Italy. When she told me, I had an instant clearing in my heart, and told her that it was fine, we would not go. Perhaps God is protecting us from something! Cornelia then asked if I would be interested in going to Slovakia as an alternative. The Bible School young people from Hasliberg and Emmanuel Lippuner’s family are all going on a short missions week to visit the believers there. I am very excited about it because it will be like traveling with family, it will be free, and I will see my roots. (I am German, Polish and Slovakian.) We leave at 4 in the morning tomorrow, so tonight I have been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off to get all my laundry done and packed. There are so many things to remember because I will be sewing there. I am excited to see Olga again, she was here at Guetli when I first came.

So I will type for a few more moments. Today was one of our last full Sunday’s here, and it made me sad! Auntie Martha came to spend the day with us. We had a late breakfast, and then came to our room for quiet time and writing. Before lunch we went to the Nebenstube and played games with a bunch of the young people. (I taught them Madness…it is fun to play in German!) Auntie arrived, we ate lunch, and then the three of us took a walk together, and ended it sitting on a bench and praying aloud.

At 2pm, several of us young people met around the piano downstairs and practiced “It is well with my soul” and then we sang it as part of the program for the Guetli afternoon. (We sang some verses in English, and some in German.) That ended late, and I took some family pictures of some of my friends here, then started wash just before supper. Now I have been packing, and want to connect and call my family and say goodbye to some of my friends while they are out wandering around. So please keep me in your prayers as I travel on to another country. I am excited that most of the drive is right through Austria! And excitement! We are taking one of those little “Smart” cars that I love, so I will finally get a ride in one!! Yay! I will be back a week from tomorrow, and will expect many emails awaiting me. Then I will be sad because it will be my last 4 days here before the wedding in Chrischona, and flying out on Monday. Anyway, you will be in my prayers, I miss you and love you. (Don’t worry, I will take plenty of pictures.)