SPRING IN BEAUTIFUL BRUXELLES AND THE NETHERLANDS

Both of these photos were taken in front of our apartment buildimg on beautiful Square Ambiorix.

Glorious spring has come to our part of the world!

Our mission on this particular day, was to travel by train to the Netherlands to pick up a mission car to use.  The car that we have been driving, finally gave up the ghost!!!!  And this after me having been stranded by myself  (in the same location) on two different occasions in an underground parking garage, because our old car would not start!   I had no cell phone and no French (you meet alot of people that way)!   It ended up costing us 280 euros (about $370) to have the Rescue Squad come and start the car, provide a mandatory  roadside service contract, and then follow me home to make sure I made it!  Enough is enough!!!!

Cute Elder and Sister Pankratz from the Mission Office met us at the train station.  They knew my brother Kent and his wife Kae when they were serving in

 the Netherlands. Senior couples are great to know in every mission!

Since we do not wear missionary tags, they had no idea whom to look for, however, we spotted them very quickly and enjoyed an instant new friendship.

Everything that you have heard about the gorgeous tulip fields in Holland is true!!!  It is an absolutely
breathtaking sight!!!! 

The brilliant colors were amazing, and I always love seeing the windmills!

We found a charming restaurant in the village of Lisse, Holland for lunch. It was near the famous Keukenhof flower gardens, and we saw people of all ages riding their bicycles and enjoying a beautiful spring day in the country. It seemed to be such an idylic life!

I loved this beautiful daffodil tree, with a handsome guy standing next to it!

BACK HOME AGAIN... AND ......... TA DAAAAAH... HERE IT IS FOLKS!!!!!!!! 

OUR NEW WHEELS!!!!! 

AU REVOIR 

GLORIOUS GENT

GLORIOUS GENT!!!! 

       On this particular Saturday morning we took care of things around our flat in preparation for an adventure  later that afternoon.  We were invited by our friend Serge to enjoy a personal tour of his beloved city Gent, about 50 kilometers from Bruxelles and 45 minutes by train.   Serge has the calling of Public Affairs Director in Belgium, and so we work with him on various activities.  By day he works in the American Embassy as Public Affairs aide to the United States Ambassador to Belgium.  Serge has wanted us to see "his city" for months...and now we know why!  The old medevial city (called the cradle of Gent) was fabulous!!  

For our adventure on this Saturday, we decided to take the train and not drive!  It was FREEZING cold, and Serge picked us up at the train station.  At first Gent looked liked a normal city, but then Serge drove us to the old medevial section, which is called "The Cradle of Gent".   We "walked our legs off" all day in the cold, but around each corner were more and more beautiful old buildings with a history to match!!!!   

This photo was taken outside the train station in Gent, and shows only a very small portion of the thousands of bicycles parked in several squares around the train station!!!!  Serge said they are in the process of building an underground bicycle garage, to get the bikes off the squares !!!!!!  We LOVED GENT, and feel that it is the hidden treasure of Belgium!   

The architecture in this old city is magnificent, and makes one wonder how they could have built such intriguing roof lines in those days!!!  Serge and David are shown on the right.

Gent has quite a canal system that runs throughout the "Cradle".  The city is in the process of restoring more of the canals that had been filled in, because of the increasing number of tourists and the popular glass top boats that ferry tourists along the way. 

Loved this Grill along the canal, and thought the purple and yellow a great color accent on this old building.

 

Our tour guide Serge pointed out this beautiful old boat, which had hosted the American Ambassador

and his entourage, including Serge, the previous night for dinner.  Serge said that he had been trying for months to get the Ambassador to visit Gent, and he finally did so the day before we were there.......and he loved it!

 

Just look at the incredible facade of this old building!!!

After hours of walking down one fabulous old cobblestone street after another, with each more incredible than the last, we decided to take a break and warm up with a hot cup of soup at this small  Indian cafe.  I believe that it was spicey peanut soup that we had, and it was hot, and soothing and delicious!!!!  Yum!!!!

The beautiful gold ship on the top of this building indicates that this is where the ocean merchants would go to pay their union dues.

Right next door to the "ship building", was the ever present Marriott Hotel.  We went in to get warm and to investigate, and were shocked that they had kept the old facade of the building, but evidently gutted the interior and built this very modern lobby!!!!!!!!! 

 

A very proud mom capturing the moment on their special day!  I felt sorry for the bride because it was so cold!

This old castle in the middle of the city was built for the "Count of Flanders".  Serge thought it was more for show rather than to defend the city, since it was right in the middle of the city. 

We saw a mom riding this bicycle with her toddler in the jumpseat and her packages in the basket.  I thought it was cute that she had decorated her transportation with flowers!  You would never see this in the States!!

We came across a shop that rebuilds old chandeliers and converts them to electricity!  It was all I could do to muster the courage to walk away without purchasing this magnificent creation!!! 

              Be still my beating heart!!!!!!

One of the main reasons that we were visiting Gent on this particular weekend, was to see the special four day light show in the evening.   It was incredibly beautiful and magical, as in more than twenty locations throughout the old city, they projected light shows on the old buildings making them whimsical, haunted, scarey and just plain beautiful!  For several hours we walked literally shoulder to shoulder with thousands of people as we witnessed this spectacular event!   On this particular street they erected this archway over the street with thousands of LED lights that spanned the entire block!   One would have thought they were in Vegas!!!    

Thank you Serge for a fabulous day!!!

Just warming up from the cold in this beautiful old hotel in Bruge. (That was another trip...but the coat is the same!)  You may have noticed that this particular white parka has appeared many times in our blog!  The best purchase I made by far, before leaving the States!!!!   In Bruxelles I have to set fashion variety aside, and dress for comfort and warmth in the cold weather!  

                                                       LET'S ALL THINK SPRING!!!!

Au revoir........ until our next report from Old Europe.

Out With The Old.......In With The New

        One of the blessings that we enjoyed this Christmas season, was to have our three youngest, John, Taylor and Ashley, fly in to spend the holidays with us in Bruxelles.  We were thrilled to welcome each and every one as they arrived at the Ferighy Airport. 

         We were excited to have Taylor the first to arrive for our Christmas reunion and festivities, but disappointed that John and Ashley's flight had been cancelled, thus delaying them another day and causing them to miss our Christmas Open House in their honor. 

It was a beautiful evening!  The girl on the left is a Hungarian investigator working with the Sisters

Our good friend Dennis from our ward.  The perfect gentleman, he arrived with this beautiful bouquet!

 

This is Agi from Hungary who is going to school in Leuven. She surprised us by coming to the open house, and remembers us from having served as Mission President in Hungary.  She said that she has never forgotten a lesson I taught to the young women in her Branch, where I gave them all a "flower pen" that I had made.  She said that she was so impressed, and that she kept that flower pen for many years, until she finally had to throw it away.

John and Ashley finally make it!

 

THE EU PARLIAMENT'S INTERNATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

President of the European Parliament

Jerzy Buzek of Poland

President Buzek had given us a personal invitation to attend this annual event. When he learned of our friendship with former Congressman Tom Lantos (D-California), he placed both his hands on my shoulders and said: "You must come!  You must come!"  And then turned to his assistant and said..."put Dr. Peterson on the list."  We were very pleased, since this was the first time representatives of the Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints have been invited to attend with other Christians from around the world. The formal invitation stated that the purpose of the breakfast is "to gather together around the person of Jesus Christ. We come as Members of the European Parliament, European officials, diplomats, politicians, and business people from Belgium, other member states of the EU, and nations of the world. During this event we have the opportunity to deepen friendships and pray for European leaders and the issues we face on our continent. It can be a time to reaffirm our faith and to renew the dedication of ourselves and our nations to God and His purposes."  This prayer breakfast took place during the deepening Euro crisis!.

                                              

This is a photo of Whitley Phips of Florida, who sang for this event.  He is a very dynamic fellow and a dedicated Christian with the most incredible baritone voice, that pierces you to the core when he sings.  He  has sung at the inaugurations of six American presidents.  His voice was powerful and moving!  We were pleased to be able to meet him after the breakfast to tell him of our assignment here, and also our Christian values as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He then surprised us by saying that Senator Orin Hatch is his very good friend and supporter.   In his remarks, he told us of his mission of visiting prisons around the world to help bring them to Christ, and to break the cycle of their children following in their fathers' footsteps.  He is a wonderful man who is doing his part in bringing souls unto Christ.  We were grateful for his beautiful Christmas CD that he gave to us.  There are alot of good people in this world!!!   

I don't recall this man's name, but remember that he had flown in from Wales for this event.

We also enjoyed a very uplifting conversation about Christian values with Hannu Takkula, a Member of the European Parliament from Finland.

Following the Prayer Breakfast, we attended a meeting in the Parliament dealing with spiritual values and politics that was extremely interesting.  The room eventually filled, and when I introduced myself to the woman who was seated on my left, after visiting a few minutes, she said that she lived on Avenue Charlemagne, which is just around the corner from me.  It was then that we both discovered, and remembered,  that she is my Doctor!!!!  We had only met once in her office......and there is a lot to be said about meeting someone completely out of context.  We had a good laugh!  Dr. Stockley had also attended the Prayer Breakfast that morning. 

                               Waiting for the room to fill we enjoyed making new friends.

                This setting was a display in the Parliament building featuring a typical home in Romania. 

                                      Wishing you all warmest greetings from the EU Parliament in Bruxelles!

Planes Trains and Automobiles

                                    PLANES, TRAINS,  AUTOMOBILES...and TAXIS TOO!   

    

 The subject for this adventure is  "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", and we will begin with the Trains.  In our past trips to Germany, we have always driven our car to Frankfurt or Dusseldorf, when we have had meetings with the General Counsel or Area Presidency.  However, on this particular occasion we decided to take the train because we needed to get back for meetings here in Bruxelles the next day.

       In order to get to Frankfurt at the appointed time, we got up very early to be ready to take a cab to the train station by 5:45 a.m. for a 7:00 a.m. departure.   It  is very convenient for us each time we need a cab, because instead of calling for one, we simply walk around the corner to this very nice hotel, that always has several cabs parked in front at any time of the day!  

       What we thought would be a smooth nonstop ride through Belgium and Germany, turned out to be a ride full of detours!  Before we even got on the train, we were told that our train had been cancelled...for whatever reason!  There were about ten of us that were in the same boat, and so we ended up following each other around, each speaking different languages, trying to figure out which train and track were being substituted, etc.  If we were going to miss the connection....we would all miss it together!  It was actually a little amusing.    After an hour's delay, we were finally on our way, but this time it would not be the nonstop passage that we had booked, because after an hour, we were required to change to another train to Liege, which took us to Koln.  From there we would go to Frankfurt!  Good thing that we were travelling without luggage! 

     On this third train, the seats were scarce, and so I ended up sitting next to this woman, who was born in Russia, whom I visited with for the several hours ride to Frankfurt.  Of course she asked who we were and asked why we were living in Europe.  I never hesitate to talk about the church, and she was quite interested.  She was travelling to Frankfurt to look for a nursing job.  After all the confusion of our travel, we finally arrived at the Frankfurt train station, bid my seatmate farewell, and hailed a cab for the ride to the Area Presidency Office for our meeting.          

    

     The photo below is of a Bountiful High School friend from many many years ago!!  His name is David Davies, and he was in the class just below me.  I literally have not seen David since I graduated!  (I  won't tell you how many years that has been....but you can pretty well figure it out).   David is serving as Executive Secretary to the Area President.  You can image my shock and surprise, as just before our meeting with the Area Presidency started, as David left the room, he quietly asked me if by any chance my name was Darelyn Servoss!  "Yes" I said!!  But who are you??????  He had to leave quickly as they were calling the meeting to order, so I had to wait for his answer.  I could hardly wait for the meeting to end so I could find out just how this brother knew my maiden name!

  

                                                  A FORMER FRIEND FOUND AGAIN 

          Having grown up in Bountiful, Utah, and not leaving until I went to college at BYU, you become pretty attached to people when you start kindergarten together, and then years later graduate from high school with the same friends.  When that monumental event happens, you think that nothing will change, but for the most part, you will never see most of those kids again.   David told me that he would walk by my house with his friend Les Wassom on the way home from school.  And that when they would pass my home they would say..."Oh....... this is where Darelyn lives".... (with a sigh added).  How funny is that!  I had no idea that he ever noticed me.


    Well, the meeting was great and after a group luncheon at an Indian Restaurant, we hopped into a cab for the train station to return home. While waiting on the platform you will never believe who walked by, waiting for her train.......my seatmate on the previous train that morning!!!  What are the chances!!!  She told us that she was offered the job and would be moving to Frankfurt.  This gave us the opportunity to visit some more.....and we told her that when she moved to Frankfurt, to be sure and find the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she would be embraced by many new friends.  She was very interested in this suggestion, and hopefully she will remember us and follow up.  Upon bidding us farewell, she said that she thought it was the "Hand of God that brought us together the second time".  I truly believe that there are no coincidences, and that everything happens for a purpose, and that the Lord will guide us.... if we will let Him.

FRANKFURT TRAIN STATION

                                Frankfurt Train Station, which brought back mission memories for David,
                                  having served there as a young man as the European Mission Secretary
                                                                   to Elder Alvin R. Dyer




                                           OUR FIRST GENERAL AUTHORITY VISITOR

                                        Elder and Sister Walter F. Gonzalez of the Presidency 
                                     of the Seventy at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel Brussels

This was a great visit with one of the presiding brethren who was on a series of European stops in Milan, Rome, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris and Madrid. Their son is a student at the Louvan University near Brussels, which made a nice reunion for them with Gabriel, his wife and infant daughter.  Darelyn was waiting for us in the Marriott lobby when we arived from the airport.  She had previewed their lodgings with the staff prior to our arrival, and the Marriott staff simply could not do enough for her!!!  When I arrived with the Gonzalez family, two assistant managers were waiting for us in the lobby with Darelyn.

Elder Gonzalez expressed the desire to see our apartment, and wanted to meet our staff!  Huh?  What staff?  We explained that it was just the two of us in this new calling, and that we would LOVE to have interns to help.  We also told him that our apartment was in the midst of rennovation, but he said he didn't care and wanted to come anyway.  Actually, our apartment  is becoming a very charming abode as Darelyn's marvelous plans and designs are coming to fruition right now. Elder Gonzales thought that the expansive view from our window of downtown Bruxelles was spectacular!  And, he approved of our plans to mirror the entire side wall from floor to ceiling.  He was interested in our work and very encouraging, especially with the outreach we are making to Ambassadors and other high-level officials in the European Union.

The Euro crisis was on his mind and he asked for my prognostication of the outcome. I told him it is likely that the EU will experience major changes in its decision-making processes regarding monetary and fiscal policy in member states (at least in the Euro zone), a greater concentration of political power in Bruxelles, and an increase in the democratic deficit, which has already alienated citizens in many countries. However, the future of the EU is filled with uncertainty and the leadership in Europe needs our prayers  that wise decisions may be made for the good of the people.






          On this particular Fall day, the Physical Facilities manager for the Church over France and Belgium, took us to a shop that provides hardward flooring.  After parking the car we walked through this beautiful courtyard and entered the shop.  When we finished selecting what we liked, we walked back into the courtyard, and it was so charming that I insisted that we stop for a photo opt.  I do not have my new floor yet, but hopefully  OGC (Office of General Counsel) will approve this expenditure in the 2012 budget!


       LUNCHEON WITH OUR FRIEND JOCHEN BERNHARD OF THE EU LEGAL OFFICE

Many EU officials we meet are very friendly, competent, and well informed about America. Several have become good friends. Jochen is from Germany and studied at the University of Heidelberg. His speciality is European competition law and he will soon move to Stuttgart, marry his sweetheart, and begin the pratice of his chosen profession. We have a standing invitation to visit him in Heidelberg where he wants to show us his alma mater which goes back to the 16th century. He will bring his fiance to Bruxelles for an engagement dinner with us in the new year. It has been fun to converse in German with him!



     And now finally we get to the Planes!  We were thrilled to learn that the Office of General Counsel at Church headquarters, will be flying us, along with the couples from Geneva, Los Angeles and New York City, to Salt Lake City for a conference on February 13th!  Yippie....we get to see our family, and hopefully hold our newest grandson, Charles Peterson Randle, who is still in intensive care following a two month early arrival!
    
   We send our love and warmest greetings to you all!

                                                                 Au revoir for now

                                                                   The Petersons
  


                                     

Cultural Activities in Bruxelles

                                                                                                                              20 November 2011


Dear family and friends,

     The days seems to be flying by, and here we are in the heart of the Fall season, with all of its beauty and crispness in the air.  From what we have been told of Bruxelles, we are grateful that most of our days this Fall  have had some sun, and very little rain.  We marvel as we look down on Square Ambiorix, which the workers keep immaculate, blowing the leaves at least weekly from the beautiful green grass, and trimming the hedges.  The leaves on the tall trees have turned to brilliant hues of orange, yellow and red, and have shed half of their growth.  It is interesting to view them from above.  The smaller trees surrounding the square are almost bare, but because their branches have been tied one to another, they appear to be holding hands with the tree next to them, which now mostly bare, almost looks like a giant fence in the air surrounding the park.

    When I leave from the apartment each weekday morning at 7:45 a.m. to walk three blocks to the gym (which opens at 8:30, but they let me in at 8:00 for a half hour of being the only one there), I jog down the eight flights of stairs before stepping out into the cool morning air wearing my hat and gloves and with my nose tucked down into the top of my jacket.  I am always amazed at that time of the morning that the sidewalks are filled with dads and moms pushing strollers destined for the local day care, and the people waiting for their particular bus number to take them to their jobs.  It appears that little children are put on the regular buses to take them to school.   A much different scene than you would find in America, unless you live in the heart of a big city.

   

The photos below were taken as we were on one of the outings sponsored by our Relief Society.   I appreciate their efforts as it gets us out, and it is fun to meet together and to get out and take advantage of the many cultural activities that Bruxelles offers.  On this particular day we toured the Museum of Music, which displayed every instrument that was ever conceived, and along the way a twenty minute concert, which gave us a chance to sit down and rest our weary feet.  

              

                      

                                                            The Music Museum

Next, we crossed the street and went into a modern art museum, which featured one artist exclusively, whose work was a little bizarre to us, so we breezed through as quickly as possible.  Next door to that one, was the beautiful Bruxelles Museum of Art, which housed all of the Masters, and was really quite magnificent!

  



Bruxelles Museum of Art



                                                 This Reubens painting was magnificent!!!

My dear friend Karen Robinson in Virginia gave me a book to read just before leaving, on the life of William Tyndale, who dedicated his short life to translating the Latin Bible into English, so that the common man could read it for themselves.  The sacrificies that he made in order to do this were incredible, and he was finally apprehended and burned at the stake just outside of Bruxelles.  This monument to him was in a rather insignificant place off the beaten path, which made us kind of sad, because of his incredible sacrifice to bring forth this important record that has blessed all of our lives.

The name of the book about his life is "Fire in the Bones" by S. Michael Wilcox, and well worth reading.  Our friend Lee Groberg, whose Legacy Films Foundation board we sit on, has put this story into film, calling it "The Fires of Faith".  We are working on including a short clip of this film to be shown at the Church's visitor center in London during the Olympics next year, and flying Lee over to introduce it.   

We later learned that the monument's original home was in the town square, but was removed for road work, and then never returned to that small place of prominence.  

 

   On this particular Saturday we were exploring an area out in the countryside where Napoleon fought and lost the Battle of Waterloo.  Just down the street we found a very quaint barn like inn, that our friends Debbie (Marriott) and husband Ron Harrison had recommended, and loved to frequent while he was serving as Mission President in Bruxelles, when we were serving in Hungary.  It was a lovely setting and we will have to take you there when we visit Waterloo.

                                                    
                                             THE BEST VISITING TEACHER EVER!

    This is my wonderful and adorable friend Rebecca Bertz, who is from Switerland, and is my visiting teacher.  She lives quite far from me out in the countryside, but takes her harp lessons just a few blocks down the road from us.  She is probably one of the sweetest and most generous women I know.  She doesn't visit me just once a month, at the end of the month, but will stop by at least twice, or whenever she is in the area.  She is truly one of the most positive people that I have ever met!!!  And each time she comes, she is bearing gifts of fruits and vegetables!    She reminds me of the children's book "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" because she is always so cheerful!                                      

                       Just an example of her generosity!!!

Several weeks ago, a very talented member of our ward whose name is Claude, and serves on the public affairs committee here,
made special arrangements to rent a movie theater and show "17 Miracles".  This is the incredible story of the Willie Handcart Company, and the unbelieveable sufferings they had in trying to walk to Zion, having imigrated from England after they had joined the Church.  Some of you saw it with us when we were last in Salt Lake.   It is a real tear jerker!  If you have not seen this film, please take the opportunity to do so when possible. 

We had a good turnout with about 150, almost filling the small theater on a Saturday morning.  My cute friend Rebecca had ridden her bicycle for an hour from her home in the country, to downtown Bruxelles to attend, because her car was not driveable because of a broken mirror.  And in a skirt and high heeled boots no less!!!!!  I love her!!

On a totally different note, several weeks ago David received a beautiful engraved invitation from an important colleague that he had recently met with, to attend a special service in his Catholic church, where a Cardinal from America was visiting.  Since one of our assignments at the European Union is to work on religious freedom and tolerance, we were pleased with the opportunity to attend.  I must say that it was a most interesting experience.  First of all, it was just a miracle that we finally found the cathedral, which was hidden in a very nice neighborhood, and we must have stopped and asked at least six people if they knew the whereabouts of this church!!!  Most of them did not speak English or German, so we would drive on until we saw someone else out walking their dog that morning, and asked them.  Eventually we found it!   

 Upon arriving, the parking was nonexistant, and so being the gentleman that he is (pay attention boys) he dropped me off so I could race into the church, considering we had about ten minutes before the service began.  I was surprised as I entered the cathedral that the seating was very limited, and many were standing at the back hoping to see the Cardinal.  Luckily I was clutching my engraved invitation at my chest when I entered the cathedral. A priest saw me (whom I later learned was the VIP in charge that day and was wearing long black robes and a blue cape) and glanced at my invitation, and then ushered me right up front, where there had appeared to be no seats at all!!

It was quite a different experience to find oneself in a cathedral Sunday morning, with all of the pomp and circumstance and pagentry that you can imagine!  But that was all overshadowed by the GRAND entrance of the Cardinal wearing a red tafetta cape that had at least a 20 foot train trailing behind him, that was carried at the end by a young alter boy.

While the Cathedral was old, ornate and beautiful, I was most struck at the obvious devotion and reverance of the people who attended the service.  And my thoughts were, that these were people of faith were worshipping in the only way they knew.   

When we left the church we came across this restaurant just around the corner with a beautiful mossaic sign, named "La Roseraie", which was most appropriate.

Interesting days, interestring experiences, with many more adventures in the future

Love and blessings to all.

Darelyn and David
aka mom and dad