Puesto avanzado Mormón - Montañas de Efraín - Tierra Santa
Mormonischer Außenposten - Ephraim Gebirge - Heiliges Land
| It might have been in 1963, the year of my confirmation in the Lutheran Protestant church, or a year later - I am not so sure about it, whether I was 15 or 16 at the time, but my first encounter with the church is very clear in my mind and engraved in my soul ! I was riding on my bike along Herbartstrasse in Wilhelmshaven, my hometown,and reached Nbr.83 at the corner of Widukindstrasse ,and I was curious about this impressive corner building, as it looked different from the other neat smaller one-family-houses in that area. I stopped to take a closer look. The building was bigger, impressive, admist a large neat garden around it. Near the entrance I noticed the name of the place in golden letters on a black background: DIE KIRCHE JESU CHRISTI DER HEILIGEN DER LETZTEN TAGE ,and I noticed a message display case showing " American Club " displaying some club activties. However the most important display was an Illustration to Ezekiel 37 : two scrolls on a pole (like Thora scrolls) - the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph - Ephraim to be combined into one. Next to it the ship with a branch of Ephraim departing from Jerusalem towards America .... It looked strange at first, but it caught my very being. This first glance would change my future life forever. I met four nice young missionaries, 2 brethren and 2 sisters. The club activities were all about American life and we had a lot of fun. Some club members, all teenagers, attended just for the club fun which was great including a Halloween event, but I wanted to know more about this church which name I had misread as the HEILIGEN DER LETZTEN 3 TAGE - I don't know why the "latter 3 days" stuck in my head at first, eventually getting it right without the "3". the brethren and sisters told me about themselves, the church, their mission, and I wa strangely touched and wanted to know more. When my Parents found out about my church investigation they bitterly opposed this and I was forbidden to continue any further activities or contacts with "these people". I had been to the CVJM - YMCA before, but now I continued to the " LDS American Club " without giving any details as to my afternoon activities. I started to read the scriptures and pray for enlightenment. I could not attend the church, or study at home, but I kept it in my heart and my faith grew .... I wanted to be baptized but needed parental consent which of course would not be given, so I had to be patient |
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| In 1966 at age 18 I joined the German Foreign Service in Bonn, now I could attend the church freely without hiding. The church was located in the very street I was living now - Schumann Strasse - Bonn. This was wonderful and so enjoyed my time. In 1967 I was baptized at the Central German Mission in Duesseldorf, what a blessed Moment that was ! But then something strange happened, I was assigned to our Embassy in Israel, which had been my request. In September 1967 I left my scriptures behind, as a veil was drawn over my Mormon identity. As if nothing ever had happened before, it was a new chapter in my life. 2 weeks prior the conclusion of my 6 months assignment I met my future wife, it was love at first sight, I knew I would marry her. I left Israel heartbroken, but 6 weeks later, on 12 May 1968, I was back to stay for good. Within just 9 days upon my arrival in Israel I started to work for Trans World Airlines Inc., a U.S. company with offices in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem and Lod Airport. (I worked there for 33 years, with many opportunities to fly to the USA and other destinations.) We married in May 1970 over 50 years ago .... In 1975 I was re-connected to the church and was active in the Tel Aviv group which expanded to a district in 1977 including Jerusalem - Tiberias - Herzlia and Tel Aviv. My first encounter with the church in the States occurred in 1978/79 while on company business to Kansas City I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Independence, Missouri and a strong confirmation regarding Adam-ondi-Ahman At 5 am while in Kansas City and the morning after the visit to the Independence LDS Visitors Center, I awke with a pounding heart, kneeled and started to pray, engulfed by an overwhelming spirit. Adam-ondi-Ahman is the subject of a revelation received by Joseph Smith and recorded in the LDS Church edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of scripture within the Latter Day Saint movement: "Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet." Only a decade later I had the opportunity for a first visit to Salt Lake City with my family, where we were hosted by the 3 service couples from Israel and of course my good friends Fred A. Schwendiman and Nonie, Ronny Lester Graybeal and Alexandra , Ivan J. Barret the 1st District President in Israel in 1977 and his wife Minie - and many friends who had returned meanwhile from Israel to BYU in Provo Utah, an unforgettable time with a strong spiritual connection.
I have visited my friends in Utah several times, I have been at two General Conferences (1991,1995) and was treated like a VIP from the Holy Land in the 2nd front row of the Tabernacle - Mitt Romney sat right in front of me. After the morning sessions we would visit Pres. Hunter at his office in the Administration Building, located on Temple Square,close to the Tabernacle. These meetings were very friendly and a strong spirit was prevailing.Usually my good friend Fred A. Schwendiman had arranged the meetings and we both would see the President. At that time President Hunter was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, in 1994 becoming the President of the Church for a short season, as he was recalled by the Lord in March 1995, Blessed Memory.
I testify to the uniqueness of the LDS Church and the mighty stirrings of the spirit, which I have personally experienced, and those precious times where the happiest in my life, choice special moments I shall never forget .... I have experienced deep spirituality and was uplifted, drawn to a higher power, I walked with my feet off the ground, I have been filled with the spirit to overflow in the Precence of this great yet humble servant of the Lord, President Howard W. Hunter, and I will never forget those choice moments of happiness and when with good and trusted friends, Blessed Memories ! | ||||||||||
God's word came to Ezekiel, telling him to write on one stick "For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions," to write on a second stick "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions," and to join the two sticks together into one stick to hold in his hand.
We were attending a shabbat service to partake in the exciting Bar Mitzva ceremony of our good friends son
While listening to the Torah reading in Hebrew my heart was strangely touched by the spirit and great excitement
would come over me. My heart was pounding as I was listening to the Torah reading - Genesis 44:18–47:27 - Vayigash and the Haftarah - Ezekiel: 37 - all so relevant to us.
Vayigash or Vaigash (וַיִּגַּשׁ — Hebrew for "and he drew near" or "then he drew near," the first word of the parashah) is the eleventh weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 44:18–47:27. In the parashah, Judah pleads on behalf of his brother Benjamin, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, Jacob comes down to Egypt, and Joseph's administration of Egypt saves lives but transforms all the Egyptians into bondmen.
The parashah is made up of 5,680 Hebrew letters, 1,480 Hebrew words, 106 verses, and 178 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).[1] Jews read it the eleventh Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in December or early January.
The haftarah for the parashah is Ezekiel 37:15–28.
God's word came to Ezekiel, telling him to write on one stick "For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions," to write on a second stick "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions," and to join the two sticks together into one stick to hold in his hand.[145] When people would ask him what he meant by these sticks, he was to tell them that God said that God would take the stick of Joseph, which was in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions, and put them together with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick in God's hand.[146] Ezekiel was to hold the sticks in his hand for people to see, telling them that God said that God would gather the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they had gone, bring them into their own land, and make them one nation with one king, no longer two nations with two kings.[147] No longer would they defile themselves with idols or transgressions, but God would save them and cleanse them, so that they would be God's people, and God would be their God.[148] David would be king over them, and they would have one shepherd and observe God's statutes.[149] They and their children, and their children's children forever, would dwell in the land that God had given Jacob, where their fathers had dwelt, and David would be their prince forever.[150] God would make an everlasting covenant of peace with them, multiply them, and set God's sanctuary in the midst of them forever.[151] God's dwelling-place would be over them, God would be their God, and they would be God's people.[152] And the nations would know that God sanctified Israel, when God's sanctuary would be in their midst forever (wikipedia)
