A Year In the Life

Lois really wanted to see the temple in Freiberg, so we took a road trip.  

The Frieberg temple was built in 1985, four years before the Wall fell.  It is a true miracle that the East German government allowed it to be built.  It was so cool in the visitor's center to see the photos of the dedication - huge lines of people came to see a new religious building in a place where religion was not allowed.  One photo also showed the road in front of the temple full of Trabi's, the crappy little car manufactured in East Germany (of course, my car-nut husband pointed that out).

After visiting the temple, we drove to nearby Dresden.  Since we moved here, I've been wanting to visit Dresden because that is where my great-great-great grandfather Karl G. Maeser is from.  Karl G. is the man who started BYU, under the direction of Brigham Young.  Karl was extremely well-educated, having specialized in ground-breaking teaching theories and pedagogy in the best universities in Germany.  When he joined the church, his affluent family disowned him, and he moved with his wife to Salt Lake.  In Salt Lake, he and his wife didn't speak English, so the people there didn't realize how brilliant he was.  He was barely scraping by when Brigham Young recognized what Karl could do and put him in charge of setting up a Mormon college.

Since moving here, I have felt a real connection to Karl.  I can kind of understand how hard it is to contribute to a place when there is a language barrier, and how frustrating it is to feel underestimated because people just can't get to know you.  I am so grateful to Karl G., because he is responsible for creating BYU, which I attended and just loved.  I feel like my time at BYU really defined how I view myself and built the foundation on which I've lived my adult life.  

I have felt several times that my calling as an institute teacher here in Berlin is my way of paying back Karl G. for his contributions to BYU and my life.  He crossed an ocean and used his unique talents and training to start a university that would be a pivotal force in who I am.  Now, I have crossed back over that ocean and am doing my small part to strengthen the testimonies and encourage the young people of Karl's home country.  I know it sounds cheesy, but I have often felt over the past two years that Karl understands how hard it is for me to be here, and he is cheering me on through the veil.  When I stood next to his statue, I had a real moment that felt like I was holding on to a friend.