An Uplifting Story

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July 16 Email from Dan - An Uplifting Story


Family and Friends,

I just sent an e-mail to BG at the Church Missionary Department.  She has been our main contact during our call as mission president.  This was a cool story that I wanted to share.  I know they are working hard in our behalf and I wanted them to know how much their work is appreciated.

About 15 minutes after I sent the e-mail I received a reply from the legal department in Germany.  They told me that they just submitted my application today so we have renewed hope.  I spent the morning sending birthday greetings to all the missionaries beginning in July.  I just got the birthday list so I was behind.  Many of the missionaries are still pending.

Sister Weser in the story is the first missionary from the USA to get into Germany for over 5 months.

We will keep you updated.  

We appreciate your prayers,

Dan


Dear BG,

I wanted to share an uplifting story from the Germany, Frankfurt mission.  Sister Grace Allen will finish her mission in one month.  Unexpectedly, Sister Weser, a new sister was arriving, and Sister Allen was asked to be her trainer.  Because Sister Weser was coming from the USA, this would require a 2-week quarantine.  In Germany this means you cannot leave your apartment for any reason.  In fact, others must bring food to you.  Despite the miserable consequence of spending 2 weeks of the last month of her mission under quarantine, Sister Allen agreed to be her trainer.

Sister Victoria Weser is from Utah.  She was being reassigned when the mission secretary, Elder Hicken, noticed that she had dual citizenship.  Elder Hicken and his wife are a senior couple who were supposed to leave Germany in February but insisted on staying - another story of selflessness.  Because of her dual citizenship, Sister Weser was allowed into Germany, but a 2-week quarantine was required.  The rest of the story is that through a truly miraculous series of events involving Sister Allen’s father and Elder Hicken, it was learned that the Frankfurt airport has Covid-19 testing with 2-3-hour results.  Sister Weser tested negative and therefore will not have to quarantine.  Sister Allen is my hero for her selfless decision.

I can’t imagine the stress all of you in the Missionary, Travel and Legal Departments must be encountering with all these new and unexpected changes.  Please let everyone involved know how much we appreciated their efforts to get the mission presidents into our missions.  For the past several months I have been studying the pictures and brief bios of all our missionaries in Frankfurt.  I know all our missionaries including those who have been reassigned to other missions and those who have completed the MTC and are awaiting reassignment.  The love that you develop for your missionaries is powerful and very deep.  They have become members of our family even though we have not even met them.  This especially hit me when we sent our first 6 missionaries home one week ago.  I was amazed at how difficult it was to realize that I would never meet these 6 missionaries in person, and they would never be a part of our lives.  The depth of the emotional experience we felt was amazing to both of us.

I share this with you so you can let those working in behalf of the mission presidents know how much their efforts are appreciated.  If their dedication and hard work gets us into our missions even one day sooner, it would be of infinite worth to us because that is one more day we get to spend with our missionaries.

We were truly brokenhearted when we were not to be able to fly to Germany on June 29.  We want to be with our missionaries so badly.  We would do and sacrifice anything for them.  We will leave it in the Lord’s hands and the capable hands of those working to get us in to our missions.

We love and appreciate the Missionary, Travel and Legal Departments.  We are praying for you.

Warmest regards,

 

Dan and Debbie Hammon

Germany, Frankfurt Mission


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