Gemeinde Wien Zwei
In Vienna, there are five LDS wards which comprise the stake: the first, second, third, international, and the fifth. We have always attended the second ward, which meets in the building next to the park side of the Prater. We were supposed to attend the first ward this time, and were planning on it, but our children put their collective feet down and said "no more new people. we've been to the second ward, and we're going to the second ward."
We've attended the second ward.
I feel very protective of it, having seen it periodically over the last few years. It has grown and it is filled with people of every age group and demographic. There are plenty of young families and this time there are new couples with babies as well. There was a new baptism our first week in Vienna. It warms the cockles of the McFarlands' hearts to see a European ward that is strong and functional and growing, having left so much shoe leather and sweat here ourselves as missionaries.
I also just love the people. A woman in Berkeley once talked about how the people in her ward were 'more beautiful and interesting' than the people in other places, and I've thought about that a lot since. The people in the Vienna Second ward are some of the people who are beautiful to me. But I warn you, they don't do it the same here. Women here often wear nice pants to church (true in the catholic faith as well as mormon). They invite the children up to sit on the bench where the deacons were and give them a kinder ansprache right after the sacrament (another thing we absolutely love about this ward). They have an actual kitchen rather than the "serving area" that US chapels now have (I think this is necessary for those of us who travel nearly an hour to church). They have a picnic after church once a month during the summer.
Oma Elfi is a good example. She was here in 2002 and in charge of the nursery where Will went. She is thin and has short hair, dyed red. Sometimes she wears a dirndl and sometimes she goes bollywood and wears a salwar kameez. Our ward back home wouldn't know what to do with her, but here she gave a beautiful testimony on the things that children in the nursery have taught her. She is also often behind strange gifts that appear in sacrament meeting. First she brought our children coloring pages, which were helpful. One week she passed out huge candy canes, which was a fiasco with Joss and very entertaining with several other kids in the ward. Two weeks ago she brought our kids Risk, because she was concerned they didn't have enough toys.
Rob was asked to give a talk a few weeks ago, and yesterday he taught the priesthood lesson. It came out in conversation with one of his friends from the mission that he had had the only Obama sign up in our stake, and the ward just cannot get over it. The socialist party is who worked to get the church recognition here -- the conservatives wouldn't do it, because they were all Catholics (which is not to say that all mormons here are socialists; they run the gamut). This marxist in the ward has befriended him; not that their politics are so similar, I think he just sees a kindred soul. One woman in the ward is a representative of the Green party; she's sweet on Joss. Just yesterday we found out that she plays the piano and we thought you should know, because the Green party doesn't often mention their piano-playing skills.
Also on Sunday, I had to give a talk, which was harder than I'd expected. It was on adversity and was supposed to be ten minutes long. I wrote it, then Rob translated it for me, then I read over it several times. Rob was very good to make certain I'd understand when it was my turn and help me out. I am glad to have done it. After church there was another picnic. We'd brought a salad, but the best offering by far was a cake that Rob's friend had brought with a picture on the fondant frosting: of Marx! I just can't imagine how that would go over in the states. Hee hee!
We've been feted now at the home of Rob's mission friend Tomas and Thalia, and by our friends Michel and Manuela. They moved last year and invited us out to dinner and to swim in their pool. It couldn't have been a better day for it: hot and sticky. And the pool was not large, but just the right size to escape the heat. It was all too deep for Sebi, but just wide enough that he could swim across it (the poor kid is such a fish that he can swim, but he hasn't figured out how to take a breath while swimming; so he makes it all the way across without a breath!). Will and Maddie were so happy to be in the water. Even Joss loved it, and usually he gets too cold and has to get out until his lips turn pink again.
Manuela and Hanna are so petite compared to me and Maddie. Can you believe Maddie is only one year older than Hanna?! Soon she will be towering over me!
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