In October, I was assigned to go to Central Europe to cover Elder David A. Bednar's five-country ministry tour. Here I am when JB dropped me off at the airport on Thursday, Oct. 7
It was supposed to be 11 days, but the plane had trouble on Thursday and returned to the gate and we had to go back the next day to fly! So I was gone 10 days and I was so busy the entire time. I pretty much just tried to keep up with the pace of this incredible leader. He traveled with his wife, the wonderful Sister Susan Bednar, and the incredible Elder Carl B. Cook of the Presidency of the Seventy and his fantastic wife, Sister Lynette Cook.
I missed my family terribly and worried about them, but JB kept assuring me everyone was doing fine. I kept thinking of things JB would have loved to see or eat or experience. Most of the time I was attending devotionals or traveling or writing, so I stayed super busy.
I was with a writer for the Church's Newsroom, a photographer, videographer, and Church spokesman, so there were five of us who stuck together.
We started in Geneva, Switzerland, getting there on Saturday, Oct. 8, pretty exhausted from the 9 hour flight from SLC to Amsterdam and then the flight to Geneva. We checked into the hotel, and this was my window view.
Then we went right to a U.N. dinner, with Church leaders and other charitable organizations and government leaders. You can see the professional pictures in my Church News articles but here's a behind-the-scenes.
The next morning, Sunday, Oct. 9, we went to a special sacrament meeting at the chapel in Geneva. I loved the tile on the floor and the hallways and the wood but this is the best photo I have, of the backs of videographer James and Tracie from Newsroom.
This is the front of the building. We sang in Spanish, French and English, because the three wards all met at the same time to hear from Elder Bednar. I met some great missionaries and young adults who talked to me for my article about what they learned from his remarks.
Then we drove to Bern, Switzerland, to the chapel right by the Swiss temple. Back in 1999 as a college student, I took a train to this temple while backpacking through Europe after my Spain study abroad. I remembered the grassy lawn and white steeple.
Doug, the Church spokesman, took this picture of me, Tracie and James interviewing the Bednars on the temple grounds.
We attended two devotionals here — one for temple workers and one for young adults. We sang in German, French and English and I felt such a gratitude for the gospel in so many languages. The young adults asked poignant questions about their place in the world, their families and friends, and their futures.
That night, this was the view from my hotel room in Bern.
I facetimed with JB and the kids and we each took a screenshot.
I wrote an article wrapping up the day in Switzerland that night while watching my sweet boys on Zoom take part in our ward sacrament meeting. I had pretty much eaten granola bars from my backpack all day but was glad for room service for dinner. The other four went out to eat but I wanted to watch the boys and they did so well!
I sent my Switzerland article off for edits and review that night (it's helpful to have Utah be on an earlier time zone) and then I went to bed quite late.
The next morning, Monday, Oct. 10, we had to leave really early to drive to Zurich to catch our next flight. This is a famous chapel in Bern and Tracie and I made Doug stop so we could get out and take a picture.
Then I saw this Aldi in Zurich from the car window and was tickled pink about it and wanted to show my siblings, because we often shopped at Aldi when I was younger.
This bridge in Zurich was beautiful that I saw from the car window.
We made it to the airport, where I used the wifi to put in some pictures into my article from the photographer, then we flew to Vienna, where the Bednars and Cooks stayed for a devotional, but our press team caught another flight to Tirana, Albania so we could work on getting pioneers to interview. It's the 30th anniversary of the Church in Albania.
My first article published Monday morning Utah time but Monday afternoon my time. I focused on Elder Bednar's message that "The gospel is for you, each of you individually."
The Tirana airport had the plane stay out on the tarmac, and we walked down two sets of stairs, one in front of the plane or one in back, and boarded shuttle busses to go to the terminal. Then the cab ride was a half-hour to downtown Tirana, where this was the view from my hotel room. It's Skandeburg Square.
We made some phone calls and lined up some interviews for the next day, while eating a late lunch/early dinner on the hotel deck overlooking the gorgeous square. The food was an Albanian dish called Tave Kosi, which is meat and cheese in a pot. It came bubbling and I really thought JB would have loved it.
My hotel room was orange and smelled funny, but I had a good night's rest after all that travel. The next day, Tuesday, Oct. 11, was a busy one. We got started early with an interview with the stake president (the only one in Albania), and a missionary devotional with all the missionaries from the Adriatic South Mission who had come to Tirana to hear from Elder Bednar. I talked to a few afterward for my article.
Then we interviewed another pioneer and his wife, then we got a break for some lunch and Tracie, Leslie (the photographer) and I walked out a bit from the hotel and tried a cafe that took credit cards. This soup I thought JB would have loved.
Terribly blurry photo while I was walking of this gorgeous flowers truck. I am really not a good photographer, you should just look up photos of Albania.
It was rainy on the square and I loved it. The mosque would have a call to prayer 7 times each day.
Then there was a member devotional, and the hotel conference room was packed to the back with people. Elder Bednar mentioned that he loved the sound of the children. I found another pioneer to interview; one of the first members there in the early 1990s.
Here is the music we sang in Albanian.
I had a lot of the article coming along by then, but the others convinced me to go to eat dinner at that same cafe. The food was very mediterranean and absolutely delicious and fancy — yet cheap.
We stayed there forever talking and got back to the hotel at 11pm. I was up writing til 1a.m., which thankfully was still early back in Utah so I could get some edits on my article! The photographer was up late adding his photos, too. I felt strongly to lead out the article with the stake president's comments, about how Elder Bednar's visit was "a spiritual jolt" for the country.
The next day, Wednesday, Oct. 12, we left Tirana and flew back to Vienna. Here are four Tiranian gentlemen I saw from the car window (we caught a ride to the airport in the van of the local Church broadcast team).
Austrian Airlines tried to make us check our carry-ons, but we held on to them. All of us only did carry-on, after the last trip to Europe with another press team resulted in everyone losing their luggage. But Austrian Airlines redeemed themselves by giving us chocolate.
In Austria, here I am in the street by the hotel after we checked in and went to get a late lunch. I just wanted to drink in all the architecture but I had no time!
Around the corner was a cafe that had not shut down for the afternoon. I had the schnitzel, the famous dish and this only solidified my love of any kind of chicken and potatoes. But the Viennese soda was a little too weird for my taste. Kind of warm; they don't serve drinks with ice.
Then we went to the Vienna Stake Center -- not too far from the river and our hotel -- for an evening member devotional. This chapel is gorgeous inside.
The chapel has a pipe organ that I was told President Russell M. Nelson once played. There's a picture of it in my article from Austria. There's also this gorgeous tile on the baptistry.
Here's a building I saw from the cab window that I found interesting.
The next day, Thursday, Oct. 13, was a young adult devotional at the same stake center for students from around Europe who attend Cumorah Academy, based in the Czech Republic. They had great questions for Elder and Sister Bednar and received great answers. They fed us their Subway sandwiches for lunch, and I had some interesting meat and vegetables on there and this bag of chips, which I ate on the train.
We took the train from Vienna to Budapest, Hungary. In my article (I combined Austria and Hungary in one article) is the cutest picture of the Bednars at this train station and then on the train. We were in a different car but the Church photographer went up to them for a minute.
The Hungarian countryside. The train ride was about 3 hours. I wrote up my Austria sections for the article on the train.
When we got to the Budapest train station, Leslie the photographer said stop right there! and took a picture of Tracie, James and me. Doug was off looking for a cab.
We drove 1/2 or so right to the heart of the city, by the Danube River. This is a picture from the cab window. Really all I saw of these cities were from cab windows or hotel windows.
The view from my hotel window.
We got settled, then rode out to the Budapest Hungary Stake Center for a member devotional.
I loved this ceiling. Such woodwork!
A picture of the hymn, "Let Us All Press On" in Hungarian.
I was able to interview a couple missionaries at the train station (who were thrilled to be on the same train as an apostle) and then I talked to a sweet woman at the member devotional. I had a quote from the Area Seventy, Elder Wondra, so that night I worked on finishing my Austria-Hungary article from the hotel. (And the hotel was so swanky! The bathroom felt like the size of my kitchen.)
I saw a theme between the two countries of building Zion right where they are, as they prepare for temples. A temple has been announced for Vienna and for Budapest, but the sites have not been listed yet nor the groundbreaking dates. Hopefully soon. I loved how Elder Bednar spoke about how the most important thing is not the building, but what happens inside. I sent that article off that night for edits and it was published the next morning Utah time.
The next morning, Friday Oct. 14, we went back to the Budapest stake center for a devotional with the Hungarian missionaries. This meeting had a lot of energy, and great questions from the missionaries. I'll always remember Sister Bednar telling a young woman, "You have come here for such a time as this," like Esther in the Old Testament, and how she bore witness how the Lord and the world need powerful, faithful, good women. When we sang the closing hymn, "How Firm a Foundation," I felt a WHOOSH over me and tears went down my face at the strong voices and strong spirit in the room.
I don't want to take many of Leslie's photographs but this one shows me in the front corner at that meting.
Back at the hotel, we interviewed the Bednars again about their thoughts from being in Austria and Hungary, and their thoughts about going to Romania next. Doug took this photo of me and my trusty laptop/equipment backpack. (I wore pants only two times the whole trip, and both were travel days where I wouldn't be going straight to a devotional). Tracie is in front, James running the video camera and Leslie in the back with his camera.
Then some of us from our crew grabbed some lunch across the street at a cafe, and I had this stuffed cabbage that was amazing.
I asked Tracie to take a photo of me in Hungary before we left.
We then went to the Budapest airport, to catch a flight on Tarom Airlines to Romania. This was an interesting experience. At each airport along the way, it was usually James or Leslie who got flagged in security and every inch of their camera bags were taken apart. Once it was Doug, because his carry-on was packed so tightly for another trip right after ours. Tracie and I both usually got through fine. But this time the boys were through fine, and we both got scolded for my curling iron and her flat iron! That was after waiting for help at the counter for Tracie's boarding pass. The people didn't queue well; they just kind of grouped in huddles.
The flight to Bucharest, Romania, was rough -- that plane was old with a bar right under my poor bum. But I sat by two members of the local Church broadcast crew, who had been in each city with us, and it was neat. to hear their experiences.
We got in pretty late at night, and the two cabs we took into the city took the long route and overcharged us. But such is life. Here is a photo of my view from my hotel window when I checked in.
The next day was Saturday, Oct. 15. We could finally walk somewhere we needed to go! The Bucharest chapel was around the corner. I took this sideways panorama; it's not that tall, but it is a beautiful building.
That morning was a devotional with the Romanian missionaries. The mission president and his family flew on the same flight as us -- it's the Hungary-Romania Mission, and he usually lives in Hungary but has to travel back and forth. I took this photo of Leslie and James photographing these missionaries who had come in from around the country for the meeting with Elder Bednar.
This devotional had a different feel than the one the day before. It was more sober at times, full of compassion and understanding for the harder time that the missionaries are having to find people to talk to about the gospel. But again I felt a strong spirit that Elder Bednar was speaking right to them about what was in their hearts -- especially when he turned to the senior missionaries and spoke to them about their service. People were wiping away tears.
Lunch back at the hotel with our news crew included honey lemonade and this Mititei -- a grilled sausage. Amazing.
Then it was back to the chapel for a youth devotional. Here is one of the songs we sang.
The youth were so great. I found a translator and ran up to the front row after the meeting to talk to the group that had asked such great questions during the Q & A. They had traveled several hours to get there from the Transylvania region. I know from growing up how hard it can be to be one of the only members in school or around you; they are definitely in the minority but hopeful to invite more of their friends to Church. We stuck around to do an interview with a district president on camera.
That night, the others on our news crew who have more Marriott points got me into the club lounge for dinner. Really, I did no sightseeing in these cities, and mainly only traveled to devotionals and took notes and interviewed people and then wrote about the devotionals — but I did take pictures of food. And that cute soda can.
The next morning, Sunday Oct. 16, was Sacrament meeting. The Romanian language, especially singing, is so beautiful. Someone told me it is similar to Portuguese but also to French. After Sacrament meeting was a member devotional with the same great translators from the afternoon before. I interviewed the most wonderful woman that day -- her family joined the Church when she was 9, they stopped going but she never left. Now her husband is a district president and they have two sweet kids. I started the Romania article with her experience and testimony and then went into what Elder Bednar taught.
That afternoon, it was time to leave. I got my article sent off for edits, then had Tracie take my picture in front of the hotel to prove I had been in Bucharest. That's a Romanian Orthodox Church building behind me.
Here's a scene from the cab drive to the airport. Bucharest has some sights that look like Paris.
The flight on Tarom Airlines going in to Amsterdam from my window seat.
We got to Amsterdam Sunday night, and walked across a bridge from the airport to the Sheraton hotel where we had to spend the night in order to catch the direct flight to SLC the next morning. Here's the view from that hotel room, the only thing I saw in Amsterdam.
My phone stopped working well that night, and I got a little emotional because I was exhausted and my last article was finished and it was like I had no more brainpower or strength left. I had truly been uplifted and helped and strengthened and blessed along the way. I was also hungry but ate the rest of my granola bars and some nuts from the hotel. I got a hold of my editor and sent my Romania article in and was up half the night making sure it worked and got published. I also was finally able to call JB and the kids and I felt better.
We were up really early the next morning and over to the airport because we heard security lines and delays are awful at that airport. But, with the others having such high miles status, I got into the nice VIP lounge with them and got free breakfast and fast wifi and felt quite blessed. Here's me and Tracie riding the escalator at the airport down from the lounge to the gate.
We took off around 11 a.m. Amsterdam time, and I landed in SLC at 9:35 p.m. Amsterdam time, or 1:35 p.m. Utah time. I was so happy to see my family again! And then I fell promptly asleep in the middle of the afternoon Utah time (middle of the night for my body!). Millie took this photo of me.
So there it is! My whirlwind adventure. Here's what I wrote on Facebook about it:
The last ten days, I had the opportunity to travel on assignment for the
Church News to five countries in Central Europe. I saw patterns of learning, listening and leading. I met faithful pioneers who are growing the gospel in their countries. I felt my own testimony grow of the covenants that connect me to Christ.
Every part of the trip I missed my family and thought how much they would love the experience. (But there was no sightseeing, only a lot of cabs, airports, hotels
and beautiful chapels!)
Here are my stories in order from the trip.
Why Elder Bednar told Saints in Switzerland the gospel ‘is for you’
Elder Bednar’s visit provides ‘spiritual jolt’ to Albania
What Elder Bednar taught about building Zion in Austria and Hungary
Elder Bednar shares how covenants will change the lives of the Romanian people
