Sunday, March 17, 2024
This morning we went to church. Dasha and Andrew attend a military ward here in Kaiserslautern -- so it’s in English. And it’s huge. There were probably 200 people or more in sacrament meeting, and it felt like 75% of them were primary kids.
Sacrament meeting was pretty ... lively with so many kids. It was a bit difficult to focus.
And then there was primary. Which was totally crazy and absolutely awesome.
The women had a special relief society meeting, so the men were in charge of primary. I went in to hang out with River and see if they needed any help. In singing time there were about 5 guys in charge of what looked like 100 kids. It was a lot of kid energy, and I was impressed at how these good military brothers worked with the kids with such gentleness.
After singing time it was time for class. I went in with River and the sunbeams. There were three of us men in there, and everything was going well until one kid said they needed to go to the bathroom, and then ALL of the kids needed to go. So we implemented operation potty stop. One brother stayed down in the hall by the classroom with the door open. I took the boys and another brother took the girls. We marched them all down to the potty and we stayed in the hallway so we could all three see each other. And we kept the bathroom doors open so we can be in earshot of the kids.
It was all very comical, and we only had two runners -- River was one of them. Thankfully, class ended well, and we got the kids all back to their parents.
After church we had lunch, and then I took a nice nap.
Then it was dinner, and after cleanup Betty and Dasha and I had another great chat.
One of the highlights was talking about the point of this trip -- and the point of pilgrimage or sacred travel in general. I think we do it for at least a few reasons.
I think that the only way to be able to recognize beautiful things is to see them. And it’s just not the same to see a picture. I love being with my kids in beautiful places and having them experience that stirring.
Similarly, I think there is something powerful in being in sacred places. If you go to one temple, you feel something special. If you go to a number of temples in a variety of places you come to recognize that feeling and you come to see that it can show up in a variety of places.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, sacred travel helps us to know that we are not alone in our faith. We live in a small community in rural Michigan. We have an amazing congregation at church, but it’s been amazing for our kids to see that in Utah, Arizona, Paris, London, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain there are other great members. It’s faith-affirming and helps us feel a part of something grand.
Finally, being in places that are sacred in different traditions helps us to recognize our common humanity. We are all spiritual beings, and there is a part in all of us that responds to the divine. One of the added benefits of being on pilgrimage in Europe is that our kids get to be in sacred spaces that are hundreds and even thousands of years older than anything they could see in the US.
Tonight before bed we had a seminary lesson. It was a special one today. We watched the second episode of the series A Marvelous Work. It’s about evidence for the veracity of The Book of Mormon. I love that book, and I love gaining insight into the evidence for its authenticity. The more I learn the more convinced I am that it comes from God.