{"chapter_no":"19","chapter_title":"Castles of Europe","book_id":"3","book_name":"Springville","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"471","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":4,"page_content":"

<\/span><\/p>

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Chapter 19<\/span><\/p>

Castles of Europe<\/span><\/h1><\/p>

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Grant and Carolyn Williams return home to Utah after many years of <\/i>C<\/i>hurch service overseas—
Carolyn’s dedication to being a mother makes life a paradise for her family—Her love for the temples of <\/i>
the Church<\/i>—The importance of establishing a permanent home somewhere as a foundation for the
family.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

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In the year 2011, after more than twenty-two years living abroad, Brother Grant J.
Williams and his wife Carolyn were ready to return home to Utah. At the end of his third and
final year as president of the Preston England Temple, he had served previously as a counselor in
the Europe Area Presidency and in a series of other administrative Church callings across the
continent. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

A successful businessman, Grant first arrived in Europe in 1988 to establish sales offices
for Williams Associates, LLC, a management consulting firm started by his older brother Jerry.
The central office of the firm was located in Provo, and Grant had been a senior partner for
several years. Upon his arrival in Europe, his intention had been to stay for only one year, long
enough to hire and train new consultant teams and set up business offices in the major cities of
France, Germany, and England. His expectation was to then return home to Provo and manage
the European operations from there. Rapidly unfolding events in Eastern Europe quickly altered
his plans, beginning with the fall of several Eastern-Block governments and the Berlin Wall in
1989, the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, and the movement towards a single
European market in 1992. Strong growth in the European operations of the business was on the
horizon; thus, his presence in Europe was necessary to oversee these exciting but turbulent times.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

In the summer of 1989, Grant and his family took up formal residence in Munich,
Germany. They would travel back to the United States occasionally in subsequent years, but only
for a week or two at a time; Europe, and Germany in particular, had become their new home. In
his local Munich ward, Grant was called to be a counselor in the bishopric. This was soon
followed by a calling as bishop and, years later, by a calling as stake president. In time, he would
be called to serve in other Church leadership positions that would take him to countries all across
Europe.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Born and raised in Provo, Grant was six feet tall and had a somewhat slender build. His
hair, a mixture of gray and light brown, was almost always perfectly combed and styled, giving
him the unmistakable look of a business executive. In fact, one would need to go back more than
thirty years to find a time when he wasn't wearing a suit every day. He was well-educated,
having completed a master's degree in business administration at Brigham Young University, <\/p>

and his manner of speech reflected that. He wasn’t one, however, to dominate conversations,
whether at home or at social engagements—Carolyn tended to do most of the talking in such
settings. But as a businessman, and as a Church leader, he was one to take charge, often
supervising and working hard behind the scenes to get things done. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Those listening to him give a talk in Church meetings, or in stake conferences, were often
surprised at how fast the time passed as he spoke. He would stand up, speak for twenty minutes
or so on a given subject, and then sit down. The Spirit tended to do much of the work with the
audience. There wasn’t anything unusual or particularly noteworthy left in the minds of listeners
when hearing him speak; rather, he just had a way of making people feel good about themselves,
inspiring them to be more Christlike, and to love their fellow man. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

As a young man, he had served a two-year mission to England, a life experience that had
been quite sobering for him. It was here that he first took notice of the operations of the Spirit.
His regular presence increased Grant's self-confidence and leadership skills. The time spent in
the mission field also taught him how to be self-reliant and, as a Utah boy, provided him the
opportunity to see the world outside of his hometown for the first time. Like most young men in
the Church who serve missions, he left home for the mission field as a boy and returned home as
a man.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Grant’s wife Carolyn was also born and raised in Utah County. She came from an active
Latter-day Saint family of which she was the fifth oldest of eight children. Five-foot seven with
sandy-red hair, she was beautiful in face and figure. Like all her brothers and sisters, she was
active in anything and everything church-related: callings, activities, dances, firesides, youth
leadership, committee meetings, and more. This was true of her in school as well. She was
frequently involved in activities and events of all kinds. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Her true passion in life, however, was music and dancing. She loved to sing; she had
great skill and energy as a dancer; and she learned how to play almost every instrument she
could get her hands on. She liked to write her own music and experiment with different dancing
styles, both old and new. She enjoyed watching others perform, but was happiest when
performing herself—always looking for an opportunity to sing, play an instrument, or dance in
front of audiences. As a young girl, she had often practiced singing in her bedroom, dreaming of
the mountains and the scenery of Salzburg, Austria. Thus, the opportunity that came later to live
in Europe had been a special treat for her. And with Munich being so close to Salzburg, she often
pestered Grant to take her and the children on the train there, as well as to other places in Central
Europe rich in musical tradition. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

At home, she frequently sung to the children, an element of their lives they grew
accustomed to and enjoyed immensely. She sometimes wore traditional German, Swiss, or
Austrian clothing in the house and had fun dressing up the children in such outfits on special
occasions. Her skill as a cook was unmatched. She had learned much at the feet of her mother,
but had also developed marvelous cooking skills on her own, transforming the daily preparation
of meals for the family into an art form. She picked up on local foods and recipes in Germany
and served many fine dishes––potato dumplings, wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, soups, beef
sauerbraten, fine breads, rolls, cheeses, crepes, chocolate cake, and many delicious Bavarian <\/p>

desserts. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen, so it was kept immaculate and well-organized.
She cooked as an artist paints. She ran kitchen operations like a master chef of a big-city
restaurant. She managed her home like a CEO of a small business. But she loved her family as
only a mother can, enriching the home with the kind of selfless love that only comes from God. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Whether one is poor, middle class, or rich, the presence of a special mother like Carolyn
in the home creates a level of happiness that is beyond the reach of money, a fine automobile, an
attractive piece of real estate, or an engaging career. Carolyn made life a paradise for herself and
the whole family. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

To look into the eyes of a small beast—a kitten, a lion cub, or a young lamb—is to see
the innocence and gentleness of creation in its purest form. To be like one of these is to be like a
child, and as such is the kingdom of God. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Carolyn had eyes like these. For her, everything in the world was exciting. With sandy-
red hair, she was like an orange kitten experiencing the wonders of a flower garden for the first
time. A kitten walks quietly through the irrigation paths between the rose bushes, scarcely
leaving imprints in the garden soil. Touching the low-hanging rose petals in the early morning
dew with her tiny nose, she explores the rows of beautiful flowers in amazement. The song of the
robin, one perched upon a branch in the treetops high above, is an especially sweet sound for a
kitten to hear. Looking up with curiosity at the sound for a few moments, and then continuing on
to sample the roses, the kitten enjoys life in its fullest measure. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Carolyn also enjoyed the rose garden experience—the beautiful roses of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. And the biggest wonderment of all to her was the temples of the Church. The
Latter-day Saint temples of Europe were like majestic castles, fortresses of God built to
transform, beautify, and sanctify the surrounding landscapes. Walking with her husband on the
temple grounds, she looked upon the attractive landscaping of flowers and gardens in
amazement. Her walk along the sidewalk in Sunday-best shoes was quiet and gentle, as if she
were wearing house slippers indoors and walking on soft carpeting. The reverence of the temple
inside was relaxing to her; the whispering of voices was peaceful. The Comforter often
whispered to her—a sweet sound that she heard from above. Walking down the pathway with her
husband to the temple entrance, the fulness of the gospel was all around her. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

A favorite pastime of hers was to look through the temple photo galleries on the website
of the Church. She sometimes wondered how it would be to travel the world and visit each and
every temple of the Church. But given the speed at which the work of temple construction was
proceeding, and in view of the numerous temples that had already been built, she quickly
realized the impracticality of the idea. She, therefore, had scaled down her idea to fit the
practical. The revised plan called for her and Grant to visit as many temples of the Church
around the world as circumstances permitted but, most especially, to perform endowments in
each of the roughly twenty temples located in Utah and the surrounding western states. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Contemplating her idea, she exclaimed to herself: What a wonderful idea this is! Once we
get back home<\/i>,<\/i> I’ll need to set up a special journal to make a recording of all of these short
temple trips. <\/i><\/p>

<\/span><\/p>

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Close to the age of retirement, Grant being fifty-nine and Carolyn fifty-five, and after
having lived so many years away from their native land, the two of them were now excited to
finally be returning home. All four of their children had long since moved back to Utah—for
schooling, for marriage, and to raise children of their own—so the return home would allow
them to be close to their children and grandchildren. But leaving behind the fond memories of
Europe would not be easy. They had many close friends in that part of the world and there were
many with whom they had shared incredible experiences of the gospel. They had served the Lord
faithfully in Europe and accomplished much, blessing the lives of countless people. Thus,
leaving to go home would be bittersweet.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

As they boarded the plane at Heathrow Airport, the couple waved goodbye to friends
who had come down to see them off, a few of whom had come all the way from Germany to
share in the moment. This was not a day of many words. Grant found it difficult to smile and
Carolyn shed many tears. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The plane was prepared for takeoff, and then it slowly taxied out onto the runway. The
plane took off, and they were on their way home—a job well done! <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Nevertheless, we shall see that a great work still lay ahead for them in their lives. There is
much that can be accomplished for the souls of men overseas as we serve the Lord as
missionaries or as Church leaders among the many beautiful cultures and peoples of the earth.
But we must seek to establish a permanent home somewhere as the foundation for our lives.
Home is a place to find happiness, a place to live the gospel as a family, and a place to gather
together to build Zion.<\/span><\/p>

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