Nov 30, 2025

Last week was one of transfers: 17 departing super missionaries, and 14 arriving new missionaries from 3 MTCs full of enthusiasm and speaking Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Mongolian, English and French.  Soeur Bell was assigned to our branch and Sr. Tew was sent to Nice as a Sister Trainer Leader.  We have previously talked about our involvement in the meals for the three days.  The program is getting more routine and somewhat easier.  The other office couples are very helpful.  Friday we were invited to help do some wall & ceiling washing and vacuuming of several rooms in a member’s home where they are doing some remodeling.  The drywall was taped and sanded and there was dust everywhere - much diminished when we finished.

We have had a lot of rain in the past 10 days.  The Saône is perhaps higher than we have seen in the past and there is a lot of flooding from the many small streams on the outskirts of town.  Many running trails are impassable.  The flooding is expected and usually it is low-lying fields that fill up. No roads or homes are flooded - that would take a major event.

The Christmas decorations are up in the town.  Many small Christmas trees are on street corners and near shops in the old town, decorated usually with red bows; lighting displays cross the streets overhead and on lamp posts; larger (30 feet !) Christmas trees with many decorations and lights are found in several places in the town.  We did have a snow shower one day last week.

Today in meetings one of the speakers told of an experience when he was a bishop.  He regularly visited a member whose husband wasn’t interested in the church and would always go into a different room when they came to visit.  One day, he asked his wife and son to visit with the wife while he went in the other room with the husband to get to know him better.  After some conversation, he invited the man to be more a part of the church.  The man said that could never happen, because he had committed a sin which was unpardonable.  After some active listening, the bishop heard his story.  During WW II, the man served in a resistance unit.  During one difficult engagement with the Germans, his best friend was severely wounded.  To avoid his painful cries giving away their position, the commander ordered the man to silence his friend, and the only way to do that was to strangle him.  It is so difficult to imagine the burden of guilt that this man had carried for so many years.  The bishop lovingly taught that Christ’s love is all powerful and could forgive even that.  At the end the man was invited to attend church the next Sunday, which he did.  After several months, the man decided to be baptized and became an active member for the last 10 years of his life.

The Christmas story is about a little baby, but the heart of that story is Christ’s earthly mission to bring us salvation from sin and death, and offer new beginnings.

November 16, 2025

Last Sunday we combined lunch with the sœurs and Tom’s Elders Quorum assignment of missionary coordinator.  We talked about all their amis and the progress they were or were not making.  Several were at church and one leaned over and expressed to Sr. Tew how good she smelled. She decided his desire to meet with the missionaries may not be appropriate. 

At the direction of our branch president, Tom was able to orient Alban, the newest convert in our branch, to the Melchizedek  Priesthood to prepare him for his interview with the Stake  President.  It was wonderful to sustain him at Stake Conference this morning and for Tom to stand in the circle with others to ordain him an Elder.  FYI, last Sunday we had 51 in attendance at Sacrament Meeting- the most ever.

Monday night at FHE we discussed Superaging and how being on a senior mission encourages the sociality which keeps both brains and bodies healthy.  Interesting studies by Northwestern University in Chicago and Harvard agreed that social relationships was the one thing that all their subjects had in common.

Nov.11 we attended the service at the Cenotaph honoring the war dead.  Our city Mayor repeated a similar message from last year.  We need a strong defence in order to have peace.  People in Europe are very much aware of what is happening with Putin and Zelensky.  Again our dear 86 year old branch member and veteran extraordinaire was in full uniform with all his medals and in charge of all the flag bearers.

We sneaked away to Lauterbrunnen for a picnic before attending a temple session in Zollikofen where our friend David received his own endowment.  David was baptized 54 weeks ago, on the first weekend we attended the Chalon Branch.  It was a wonderful opportunity to share both experiences with him.  Lauterbrunnen is only an hour north of Bern and is one of our favorite glacial valleys in Switzerland but it was cold.  Don’t miss these spectacular rock cliffs, waterfalls, and high meadows if you ever have the opportunity.  We also drove up to Grindelwald at the base of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau - unbelievable scenery but a very famous commercial town. 

Entering Switzerland from the Jura Mountains

Lauterbrunnen with Staubach Falls

The south end of the valley with snow up high

The dawning of a new temple day

Looking into a bright sun after the temple session

Today our little choir of 14 from the Chalon Branch sang in Stake Conference.  We have been practicing for months so all the words and nuances were memorized.  Sr. Rasmussen accompanied on the harp and Catherine Catogni conducted.  I think angels were with us as we sang the new hymn 1006, Were You There.  All in the meeting felt the Spirit.  One of the speakers, who had lived in our branch several years ago, commented on how wonderful it was to see the branch so lively after rumors in years past of its closure.  Such a great day.  We drove home and celebrated with beef stew, beets, and corn, and the sœurs. 

Nov 9, 2025

Every one responded well to our taco salad at Zone Conference.  Many told us it tasted just like home. The only leftovers were some olives, chips and salsa and 2 cups of meat out of 19 lbs.  We fed 55.

Pres. Schow likened friends (investigators) to the seeds in the parable of the sower.  The seed may be good and the soil good but the timing or the circumstances may have an effect.  He encouraged the missionaries to keep those on their lists who have not been interested.  3 Nephi 18:32 ….we know not that they will return and repent and come unto me with full purpose of heart.

Sr. Schow spoke of confluences, the Rhône and Saône Rivers in Lyon joining together to make one great river.  She likened this to sacred confluences - aligning hearts and keys to access the blessings of unity.  Each of us is a necessary tributary. When we bring our spiritual gifts and our searching for Jesus Christ together, we share convincing power through the Holy Ghost.

Interesting new statistics.  I don’t know if these are from France or from the Europe Central Area. Over the last 18 months, we have seen 100% increase in friends attending Sacrament Meeting, 18% increase in rétention of new converts, and 400% increase in convert baptisms.  Today was the first time we have had attendance over 50 in our little branch without the help of stake or other members visiting.  We also were delighted to read of the dedication by Elder Rasband of the new MTC in Kinshasa.  We were able to visit there in 2023 when it was a temporary MTC in an apartment complex without a lot of resources because it was relatively new.  The Lord is hastening his work.  Do we recognize what is happening before our eyes? All we do is pointed towards Jesus Christ.

We are very excited with the call of Bishop Caussé to the apostleship.  If, as Elder Bednar surmised, the Church in Africa continues to grow at the same rate it has in the last ten years, then by 2040 the most spoken language in the Church will be French.

I have read of a 25 year study by North Western University in Chicago of 300 super agers.  All were over 80 and still had healthy minds and healthy bodies.  Although we all know that diet, exercise, lifestyle, smoking, alcohol have an effect on our quality of life, this study found only one commonality among them and it was social, not biological.  It was relationships. The better the quality of your relationships, the more likely you were to age well. Social interactions such as joining a club, developing a new hobby, any learning of new things, any mental stimuli, most likely will give you more healthy, active, sharp years.  Another study (Harvard) suggests  a 5-3-1 approach: interactions with 5 different people each week, nurturing 3 close relationships, and 1 hour of social interaction a day.  I guess there are some unique blessings for extroverts (or senior missionaries).

Practising the alphorn for a priesthood gathering near the temple in Bern

Decorations for a Halloween party in a museum

November supermoon on the Saône.  

Nov 2, 2025

It has been an unusual week.  Monday we went to the Mission Home to stay with Brigham and his cousin Tessa while Pres. and Sr. Schow went to their semi-annual Mission Leaders’ Seminar.  We did more grocery shopping and prep for the Zone Conference meal tomorrow and had a mostly quiet time. 

Tuesday we heard that son Hugh had gone to the hospital to be checked for a painful lump under his tongue, and after a scan, was admitted to be treated for Ludwig's Angina.  It is an infection under the tongue which in former days had 50% mortality because of airway occlusion, but has better results now because of improved diagnosis and treatment.  He went home after 48 hours.

Thursday we left as planned with the “kids” to attend the temple in Bern.  We stayed in patron housing, they stayed in a hotel about 12 minutes away.  Several other branch members were there as well, and we enjoyed the peace and calm of the temple.

Friday we took some time after the first session to go into Bern and see some sites.  The beautiful Clock Tower was first.  Then we climbed the cathedral tower (344 steps!) for the panoramic views of the mountains and town.  Brigham wanted to see the bears in the Bear Park, but they weren’t eager to see him.  We went to the Einstein Museum and learned about the brilliant but quirky man who published several groundbreaking papers while working as a patent clerk in Bern.  

The Clock Tower

The neogothic cathedral

The Aare River and Bernese Alps

Hanging out with the NIL of Einstein

Then we were hungry so we found a casual restaurant open near the temple. After our delicious meal it was time to take the kids to their hotel and then return for the last endowment session of the day.  It was already dark.  The car’s GPS suggested it was faster to cut across on smaller roads rather than taking the autoroute in a big loop.  I thought we had lots of time so I said, “Let’s see.”  However, as we got closer to the hotel and then farther away, it seemed like the GPS was absolutely wrong.  It said our destination was about 2 miles away from the hotel and on the wrong side of the autoroute.  I turned onto the smaller road, thinking we could turn around somewhere, then saw a bridge that crossed to the good side of the autoroute.  After making the crossing the road became more of a gravel trail and then turned in the wrong direction.  So, “Let’s turn around”.

The shoulders were wide and grassy with a small slope away from the gravel, but as we turned left to make a loop and come back toward the gravel, the front tires sunk a bit and I stopped.  Then it wouldn’t go forward or back.  Stuck!  The front tires weren’t in deep but in the damp soft grass and mud underneath, the tires just spun.  We got out and tried to push to get back to the road, several times.  No luck.  I thought about trying to go forward in the turn but was worried about getting in deeper.

At that point it looked bad.  I thought we might have to forget the last temple session and maybe even miss a decent night’s sleep.  Where would we find a tow truck after dark?  How far was it to walk to the hotel?  In desperation I proposed that we pray together.  Just as I said that aloud, we saw a small white light far across the dark field, bobbing up and down and gradually coming closer from the opposite direction.  As it came up the road we realized it was a runner, a young man, with a headlamp.  He stopped and we tried to communicate.  He didn’t speak French or English, was not from around there.  We did manage to communicate our predicament and he took a look at the wheels.  He said he was from Austria and was a mountain driver.  His advice was to try to push forward.  He would drive while we pushed.  With nothing to lose, we did, and the car moved forward and then sped up and was back on the gravel in no time.  He turned it around and got out, and then despite our effusive thanks he jogged off, saying only that he was an Austrian mountain driver.

We all got in and made our way back to the highway, and using the phone GPS we found a way to the hotel and then back to the temple in time for our session.

How is it that he was running in the dark in that remote location?  When did he come from?  Where was he going?  To have an angel appear in that location, at that time, was truly a miracle for us.  We were remote and in big trouble, and he saved us.

There is a lot of symbolism in that experience.  In this life we are unable to overcome sin and death on our own.  We can find ourselves in the dark, having made mistakes, far from where we need to be.  But God has sent his Son to save us - the true light that shines in the dark.  And He has saved us, and will save us when we turn to Him.