December 28, 2025

It’s a most wonderful time of the year!  I listened to a stimulating podcast by Sharon Eubanks: ‘What has changed my life?’ These five ideas are her continuing catalysts:  

The ability to believe that God is real

The ability to start over again (fix my mistakes)

The ability to find comfort in my covenants

The ability to find new solutions

Practice the connecting love of Jesus Christ, helping each other.

These have nothing to do with money, mentorship or even experience.  In different words these are called the Doctrine of Christ. Faith, Repentance, Ordinances, and  Covenants,  Gift of the Holy Ghost, Enduring and helping others endure to the end. These have made the difference.  Such possibilities for a new year!

We picked up Ben and Christy on Dec. 16 and spent the next three days captivated by the  sights of the Strasbourg area Christmas markets.  Strasbourg was the first city that Ben served in as a missionary in the early ‘90s.  We got to sample some traditional Alsatian dishes, wonder at the 50 foot live singing Christmas tree which switched colors, and a multitude of extravagant but tasteful storefront decorations.  Wow!  We were charmed by the little town of Riquewihr as well.

The great tree in Strasbourg

Shop decrorations! Can you see the bubbles falling?

The cathedral

Riquewihr

In Chalon, we prepared for Christmas Eve with 5 invited guests from our branch - all single between 45-70, three of them joining the Church in the last year and two joining in the ‘90s. Each of us would share our conversion story in between singing carols.  I planned the soirée to be focussed on Christ so Christy and I decided to do a Palestinian meal with salads, pomegranates, humus, nuts, dates, fresh pita bread, and a scrumptious orange fennel baked chicken.  Our guests brought a variety of desserts.  We had enough to send them home with food bags.  A great feeling prevailed all evening!

Christmas day we were served a traditional French dinner on a beautifully set table, with individual gifts.  Great drinks and conversation, 3 bûches de Noël, and carol singing in front of the fire concluded our afternoon with our Branch President’s family and the young missionaries.  We felt appropriately Christmased.  

The setting for Christmas Day dinner

The cheese board

Thursday we Spackmans left for the Dordogne Valley, one of our favorite spots in France.  We are visiting castles and museums and learning lots of French history before we return home for New Years Eve.  What a lovely way to end 2025! 

December 14, 2025

This week has had its ups and downs. Eric, a convert of one year, with an unreliable car, found an apartment just four km from the church and even closer to his job. We made 3 trips to his old apartment 40 km away on Tues. and  Wed. to help pack, load and begin cleaning.  Unfortunately, by Thursday Tom was coughing and aching and by Friday, my nose was running and I was coughing and without energy.  Needless to say, we have had an isolated hot-lemonade-and-honey weekend with a few Christmas movies thrown in between the naps and lots of vitamin C.  We are hoping to have conquered this before Ben and Christy arrive Tuesday evening.

Sunrise over Le Creusot from La Marrolle

I was so impressed with the experiences shared in the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  I will always think of Sister Porter when I sing the line of O Little Town of Bethlehem - Yet in the dark street shineth the everlasting light.  She has known the dark streets and the light.  I will remember how the General YM President learned about sacrifice on his first Christmas in the mission field in Brazil.  Eight children, their mom, and grandma  watching  him and his companion eat the dinner joyously  prepared just for them and likening this to the Saviors gift of the atonement.  Am I receiving the gift that he willingly gave?  Pres. Holland's plea to be a family to someone who is alone, who needs to feel accepted, to feel at home.  Mary, Joseph,  and Jesus all knew what it felt like to be away. I loved Pres. Eyring's words, carved into bread boards….J’aime et J’espere…..because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can feel of his love and have hope in his words.  As we think of gift giving, let us give simple acts of kindness. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught. Let us partner with him.

Sometimes we learn lessons in strange places.  I was forced into a comparison of two participants on My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV). One a successful seller of a computer company, who was buying a 2.5 million dollar vacation home with a pool, hot tub, several bedrooms, bathrooms etc. and the other, a very modest couple who had little but said they always had a bowl of rice for anyone who needed it. They had won 5 million dollars on a scratch off ticket.  Their budget for their dream house was 250 thousand dollars.  It needed a kitchen big enough to cook for a large group and a large yard so people could gather and feel at home.  The host made a comment that he could tell that they were givers not takers.  The last clip of the show was the man cooking a huge pot of soup and many people being welcomed in the back yard.  Interesting fact, as we age, the most significant characteristic for a happy life is relationships.

Our boulanger's window

Community tree at Place de l'Hotel de Ville

We have had a busy few days. Zone Conference was changed from Dec. 8 to Dec. 3 (less than 5 days after exit and intake ended) because of complications with Sr. Schow’s eye appointments   We found this out on Nov. 28 but did not have time to think about it except to plan to do soups for the main course.  I was speaking in church on the 30th and needed to finish and practice my talk in French.  We spent all of Monday and Tuesday preparing, and Wednesday preparing and setting up. The church was so cold that everyone enjoyed the potato corn, lasagne, ginger carrot, and chicken tortilla soups with thick crusty bread.  We had fresh pineapple, kiwi, persimmon,  banana and pomegranate salad,  and for dessert 5 inch chocolate chip cookies (only 464 calories each).  We had great help setting and cleaning up and left Lyon about 3:30, making it home before dark. You all know what exhaustion feels like.

Our elite soup servers: Elders Spackman, Later, Delbar, and Berube

Sr. Peterson on the L, Sr. Lewis on the right with her new companion 

Planks during the break

I took the time on Friday to teach our soeurs how to make pomanders so their apartment would small nice. Neither had even heard of one. 

Srs. Bell and Rasmussen

Last night was the branch Christmas party. Our few primary kids had a great time acting out the nativity.  Then we learned about the symbols of Christmas, played charades with one word clues, sang, and ate finger food.  Janine, one of the Tahitian members made a scrumptious Bûche de Noël. 

A funny story with a picture included. Bro. Landré (our 86 year old war hero and spy extraordinaire) was on the planning committee for the celebration. He wanted to be Père Noël and hand out toys to the children.   Pres. Catogni vetoed the idea, saying they wanted the  focus to be on Jesus. This did not make Bro. Landré happy.  So guess who showed up at the party?  Two wise men!  One had a beard and hair similar to a different Christmas character but wore a crown and a robe. The two of them gave presents to the children just like the wisemen brought gifts to Jesus.

The 2 Magi, aka Père Noël and his elf

Today we delivered gift baskets to some members, for the bishop. It is always a revelation to see how middle aged single men live. At first Tom thought he might be remodeling until he realized that there was nowhere to sit down, even on the floor.  It was covered with papers and junk, with a horizontal palm tree in the middle.  I had to remind myself that we came here to visit him not to judge his house keeping skills.

Sister Navarro was lying in bed in a dark room. She has had severe back pain the last few days and could not move.  We showed her pictures of zone conference and played a bit of everyone singing “Angels We Have Heard on High”.  Then we talked about the ward party and the wisemen which made her smile.  Tom blessed and passed the Sacrament in her bedroom. It is always a sacred experience with the three of us.