June Family History Presentations

In the month of June 2010 Elder and Sister Howlett have been kept busy preparing for and attending four Family History presentations.
On June 5 we took 20 prepared booklets and about 14 computer laptops with other related equipment over to Nürnberg Germany Stake where we worked with 23 very interested adults to teach them about newFamilySearch and FamilySearch Indexing.
Brother Wolfgang Preiss, the Stake Technical Specialist and Ham Radio operator DJ8JW

We were very pleasantly surprised to find about 12 tables already set up in the 3rd floor Seminary room in the church building. The tables each had 2 wire connections ready for each table and a screen and projector already set up for our use. Brother Wolfgang Preiss, who is the technical specialist for the Nürnberg stake, had already set up all of these things for our all day class.
The Family History Center director, Andreas Nabrotzky, brought us a breakfast snack of pretzels and Apfelschorle,

Sister Halliday, Sister Howlett, Elder Howlett, Andreas Nabrotzky, and Elder Halliday

a carbonated apple juice drink, and then later he took us out to lunch. Elder and Sister Halliday went with us down south to Nürnberg, leaving our home about 5:30 a.m. and driving down to the stake center there. Elder Halliday presented the first class on the new FamilySearch then Elder Howlett taught the class on Indexing and reading the old German script. Nürnberg adult class learning the programs

They both gave very good presentations and the day was a very successful one. We even found out that Brother Preiss is an Amateur Radio Operator, DJ8JW. We wondered if that might have helped him be a good stake technical director.

Preparations were then made for us to make more booklets and attend the Family History Day of the Dortmund Stake in northern Germany.

Dortmund Stake Center

On the 11 June Elder and Sister Howlett traveled north to Dortmund where we held a special class and workshop for 5 Young Men who were prepared to learn about new FamilySearch and FamilySearch Indexing. We were originally preparing to teach 20 or 30 youth, but it turned out that only the YM could attend and only 5 came, with two leaders.

Westfalenhallen Best Western Hotel

Because of the distance we went up there the night before and stayed in a beautiful Best Western Hotel, then the next day, June 12, we found the very nice and spacious ward building where we would hold the seminar.
The Stake Technical Specialist, YM Leader and Elder Howlett setting up

The stake specialist set us up in the High Council room where we had a very successful day, even though it was only for 5 Young Men. Elder Howlett taught both classes of new FamilySearch and FamilySearch Indexing with helps in reading the Alte Schrift (old German Script). He called these young men Strippling warriors or Sons of Helamen. They were good young men who were sincerely interested in learning about genealogy and how to work these programs.
Elder Howlett teaching the 5 YM and their leaders

They and their leaders learned enough that they might be successful in exciting other youth of their stake to learn it or at least convince the stake Youth leaders to hold another seminar for all of the stake youth. We know that one of the leaders has already been in contact with our FamilySearch support team for help in continuing his Indexing experience.

The next week, after preparing many booklets on Family History and securing a reservation in a hotel for Richard Walker, Elder & Sister Halliday and Elder & Sister Howlett, we all traveled southwest to
The Stuttgart Stake Center in Esslingen, Germany

Esslingen where we held a Family History seminar as part of the Stuttgart Germany Stake Youth Conference on June 18-19. It was also a great experience working with about 40+ youth and their leaders to help them learn about how to use the new FamilySearch program to find their ancestors and prepare temple work to be done for them.
The New FamilySearch class in the upstairs chapel, Stuttgart Stake Center, to the right

In addition they learned how to help in the very important work of Indexing digital records on the microfilms. Richard Walker taught the class of new FamilySearch and Elder Howlett taught the class on Indexing and reading the old German script.
At left, Elder Howlett teaching the Handwriting and FamilySearch Indexing class

It was a great experience for the Hallidays to help with both classes and learn how to continue the work after Elder and Sister Howlett go home on July 21. There were two classes and we split the group into two parts having the groups start in one class before lunch then switch the classes after lunch. It was another day of helping these youth learn about the importance of Family History work, with many of them enjoying the challenge of learning new computer programs and how to use them.

On Friday night, June 18, after we checked out the church to see what we had to do to prepare for the next day’s seminar, Richard Walker, Elder & Sister Halliday, and Elder & Sister Howlett, took a trip into Esslingen to see several things in the downtown area. Elder Howlett had served as a young missionary for about seven months in this city and he wanted to see what he remembered of the place.
The Esslingen Old City center fountain

He especially wanted to see the old fountain in the middle of the downtown area which had four friezes of a story about a postman in the town that was wrongly accused and beheaded for a murder he did not commit. Then in one frieze the postman is seen holding his head in his hand and blowing the postman’s horn in front of the murdered man’s nephew’s house. The historical account of this story also says that the horn was heard and the apparition seen at the home of the judge who had tortured him and thereby forced his confession. This landmark, therefore, celebrates the developments in the German culture that did away with the torturing of an individual to obtain a confession. This fountain was important as a true landmark that Elder Howlett saw and learned about over 50 years ago.
At left, Elder Halliday, Richard Walker, Elder Howlett and Sister Halliday

All five of our team went downtown to see this and other historical buildings, ate dinner at a traditional German restaurant and then enjoyed a walk in the rain to get to our car and a drive around town to see some of the sights Elder Howlett remembered. It was another successful memory of an experience in Germany.

At right, Esslingen Old Rathaus (City Hall)



For the last Saturday, 26 June, Elder and Sister Howlett were scheduled to go with Richard Walker to help him teach 50-60 youth about Family History in Antwerp, Belgium Stake. Because they speak Flemmish and not German, we did not prepare any booklets, which we only make in German and English. Instead we made 60 copies of the old Flemmish handwriting alphabet.
It was finally decided not to pay for hotel reservations for 3 people, so only Richard Walker drove over to Belgium with all the computer laptops and related equipment necessary for the Family History presentation. He taught the class on FamilySearch Indexing and an Area Authority came to teach the class in new FamilySearch. We hear it was a pretty good success, though the area authority had to translate everything Richard Walker taught them.

The welcome sign into Johannesberg, to the left

Because Elder and Sister Howlett did not have to make the trip to Belguim, they decided to take a road trip on their free Saturday and travel down to a village in Germany called Johannesburg, where there is a special wood carver who does beautiful work in wood carvings with intricate details. They bought several lovely things, including some gifts for their family and enjoyed the special experience of seeing so many things of this wood carver’s gifted art work.

To the right, Toni Sauer's Woodcarving shop


It was a treat to have a Saturday to enjoy doing other things, but it has been very fulfilling in the month of June to teach and serve so many German Saints.