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.

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.