TWO INSPIRATIONAL MEETINGS

Last Sunday evening we had the opportunity to watch our home ward's sacrament meeting. Two brothers (twins) of a family I (Russell) had ministered to, were giving their homecoming talks.  Both had served Mandarin-speaking missions in the U.S., one in Texas and the other in California.

Twenty years ago, Jon Huntsman Jr. was the governor of Utah.  As a young man, he had served a mission in Taiwan and learned Mandarin.  Later, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore, where he surprised the locals with his language abilities.  As governor, he started Mandarin immersion programs in a number of Utah's elementary schools, one of which was Jenny P. Stewart Elementary School. Those twin brothers, two of our bishop's sons, two of my grandchildren, and many others participated in the that program which continued through high school. 

My granddaughter, who listened with us as the brothers spoke about their missionary experiences is entering her senior year in high school next month.  She has already passed the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam and the Avant STAMP Mandarin Language Proficiency Test.  If she chooses to serve a mission in the future, it will be interesting to see whether those years of language training will be utilized.  It is gratifying to see our grandchildren who have recently served, are currently serving, and those planning to serve as missionaries for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his Church. If our years of service as missionaries have had any positive influence on our posterity's desire to serve, our time spent will have been worth the sacrifice.

Last night I (Eileen), went to a women's conference where Sister Kristen Yee from the Relief Society General Board spoke, along with Elder Jack Gerard, our Area President.  There were a number of senior sister missionaries from the Area Office which attended together.  It was a beautiful meeting, spiritually uplifting and sensitive to those who might feel that they are not enough.

Sister Yee brought her younger sister with her on this trip. It happened to be her sister's birthday yesterday, and the first time her sister had ever been to Europe.  It was obvious that they both had a deep love and admiration for each other.  Sister Yee is 45 years old and single. Her younger sister has 6 children, one of whom just left for a mission. Sister Yee talked about how often our lives take a different direction than we had ever anticipated.  

From my notes, a few things she said were as follows. The Lord sees our capacities and understands our needs. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to follow promptings even when they lead us in unexpected directions. Faithful obedience does not guarantee an easy path, but it does invite divine help and assurance that all things can work out if we diligently strive to do our best. 

We were taught that in a world that often feels challenging and uncertain, we can take comfort in the assurance that we are never left to walk alone. The Lord lovingly sends messengers from both sides of the veil to strengthen, guide, and encourage His children. Often times we can be the angels who are the answer to another individual's prayers. 

Early this morning I received a long text from a granddaughter who described how she had been given some food yesterday which was more than what her family could eat.  As she considered what to do with the extra food, the thought came to her to share it with a friend. As she arrived with the food to her friend's house, her friend started crying. She had no funds to buy food for another week and her fridge was empty.  My granddaughter asked me if perhaps this was God or the Holy Ghost telling her she should share her food with this friend. I agreed with her that it probably was and shared the counsel we were given last night which was originally taught by Sister Kimball (wife of President Kimball), "Never suppress a generous thought."  I truly believe my granddaughter was guided to her friend, and it was a beautiful teaching moment for both of us. 

Sister Yee told of a time when she was with a group kayaking in Hawaii. The guide asked if there was someone who would be willing to kayak alone. She offered. While going with the current she felt it was quite easy. Then she realized the real challenge was when she had to go against the current. She taught: like two people paddling a kayak, we are stronger when we have a partner. The Savior invites us to become yoked with Him, promising that as we take His yoke upon us, we will find rest for our souls. At times, we may feel as though we are paddling upstream against powerful currents. When our strength is insufficient, His grace compensates. Through prayer and constant communication with Heavenly Father, we can move forward in partnership with the Lord. We closed the meeting singing "It is Well With my Soul", one of my favorite songs.

This next week, I (Eileen) will begin taking over the role of Paris South Mission Health Advisor from Elder Woods who will be returning home soon. I am grateful for the brief training he has given me. He is an orthopedic physician and is currently covering both Paris North and Paris South missions, (about 500 missionaries).  He has been very, very busy. Being able to serve as an MHA at the same time that I serve with my companion in our calling as Area Welfare/Humanitarian Specialists is a blessing I look forward to. 

 

This was a screenshot of our meeting back home during the closing song. It was so nice to hear the two young returned missionaries (twins).  We taught their Sunday School class when they were 12 years old.

       

Our grandson Cameron this past week with his family just prior to entering the MTC in Provo. 

Translation of Sister Yee's talk was in 5 different languages:  Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Ukrainian. The opening song was Faith in Every Footstep. It was remarkable to hear a women's group with so many languages being sung at one time. 

This photo wasn't taken by me, but was shared by someone else during Sister Yee's talk. 

Eileen, Russell and Sister McConkie.  Her husband is serving in the Area Presidency.  She asked if we were related to any Healys in SLC. It turns out our nephew and his wife tended her children on several different occasions and even named one of their children after her husband. She asked if we could have a photo together. I thought SURE!

A VISIT FROM FAMILY

When we first arrived in Germany, we had an interview with Elder Jack N. Gerard. Elder Gerard is now the president of the Europe Central Area. Due to his work prior to being called as a General Authority Seventy, as head of the American Chemistry Council, he had met the Jon Sr. and Peter Huntsman and members the Huntsman company’s board, who I had worked with.

One of the things Elder Gerard told us during our interview was that he encouraged us to have family members come to see us during our mission. He felt it would be a good influence on our family to visit us while we are serving, see where we live, and learn more about what we are doing. I believe he felt it would encourage future missionary service, for both for our grandchildren when they come of age to serve and for other potential senior missionaries.

This week, our daughter Jessica and her family came to visit us. It is wonderful to have them with us. We appreciate their love and support.

                                                          

The 3&1/2 year old woke up at 10pm the first night and stayed awake all night.  Here Russell is entertaining him on the porch while Eileen and his Mom slept. 

                                                 

 

The only time it rained this day was while we were on the paddle boat at the Palmengarten.  We parked under a tree to stay dry and then finally made a race for the dock.  When we arrived back to the dock sopping wet, the rain stopped.  Memorable to say the least. 

                                                  

We went to church in France. It was a small branch. Between our 8 people and another family visiting from the UK with 5 children, we increased the attendance significantly.

My (Eileen) maiden name is Cannon. It seemed appropriate to get a photo by the Cannon. 

There is a statue of liberty in the middle of a traffic circle in the city of Colmar. This city was the birthplace of Bartholdi who designed the sculpture. 

In front of Little Red Riding Hood's house in Colmar. 

This 3 year old is an independent sort. 

Glacier caves in Grindelwald. 

Monkey refuge. 

Comparing wing spans at the bird park. 

Lots of games were played.

A GOOD LAST DAY

The week before last was an especially busy one as we worked on five emergency humanitarian projects. Four were completed, while the fifth, and by far the largest, remained pending as we waited for additional information from the NGO. I (Russell) had sent an email outlining the details needed to move the project forward. Because it involved a significant Red Cross response to the devastating fires in Spain and would be reviewed not only in Frankfurt but also in Salt Lake City, the documentation requirements were understandably extensive.

As the new week began, we expected the information to arrive quickly, but Monday passed with no response. Then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday came and went as well. With each passing day, our concern grew as we wondered whether we would receive everything needed to complete the project.

Finally, on Friday morning around 9:30 a.m., the file arrived containing nearly all the information we had requested. We immediately got to work. Eileen prepared the project in CHaS, the Church's humanitarian software system, while I worked on the slide presentation for the Presiding Bishopric’s review. We were grateful that we had been able to prepare in advance, allowing us to move quickly once the information arrived. After completing our respective assignments, Eileen reviewed my slides and I reviewed her CHaS submission. By 2:00 p.m., the project had been submitted to our supervisors and entered the approval process. We felt thankful for the opportunity to contribute and pleased with what we were able to accomplish together in just a few hours.

That evening, as we reflected on the day, we felt a deep sense of gratitude. What will likely be Eileen’s last day focused entirely on humanitarian work turned out to be a very good one. In recent weeks, she has become increasingly involved in her new responsibilities as the medical advisor for the France Paris South Mission. The physician currently serving in that role will soon be leaving, and Eileen will assume those duties while continuing to support our humanitarian work in Frankfurt whenever possible. Looking back on how everything came together that day, I felt the Lord’s hand in it. It seemed like a tender blessing and an answer to prayer that her final full day devoted to humanitarian projects was both meaningful and successful.

Last Sunday brought another blessing. We were able to listen to our grandson Cameron’s farewell talk before he enters the Missionary Training Center in a few days. We are grateful for his desire to serve the Lord and proud of the faith and commitment he is showing. Watching him prepare for this important step in his life filled our hearts with joy, hope, and gratitude.

As we reflect on these experiences, we are reminded of how blessed we are to serve together, to witness the generosity and compassion of so many people, and to see the Lord’s hand guiding both our work and our family. For these blessings, we are deeply grateful.

                   

It is amazing that with modern technology we were able to hear our grandson Cameron give his mission farewell talk last Sunday. 

We had Elder and Sister Clemes over for dinner last Sunday. They will be replacing the Muellecks in the humanitarian department. 

Elder and Sister Nikopoulos arrived this past week. He is the psychiatrist for the area missionaries and will consult as needed. 

Elder and Sister Murdock presented at our FHE.  They were both in the Tabernacle Choir for many years. They gave a very interesting presentation.  Elder Murdock is one of our Area Mental Health Advisors. 

This photo of the eclipse was taken by our Area Medical Advisor, Elder Boud,  this past week. 

We have had a bad drought in Europe this past year. There are a lot of upset people complaining that their river cruise through Europe ended up being a bus tour. 

Christmas in August?  The big giveaway, cleaning out missionaries old stuff after seniors have returned home. 

These ladies worked so hard to make sure everything was organized for the free "flea market".  I got some great things. 

Russell is usually too busy to go to the Come Follow Me class that is held each week however he found time this week and enjoyed it. 

 

               Our humanitarian department, saying good bye to the Muellecks.  

A STRESSFUL WEEK

Today in church, a young man came and sat down next to me. The meeting was well attended, so there were not a lot of empty seats. I couldn’t help but notice his copy of the Book of Mormon, it had what appeared to me to be an Arabic script lettering on the front. After sacrament meeting Eileen and I started to chat with him. We didn’t get very far because both his English and our German are quite limited. With the help of others, we learned that he is a migrant from Iran and his Book of Morman was in Farsi (aka Persian). The missionaries told us he is progressing well with the lessons. The missionary work in Europe is going very well, primarily because of all the immigrants who have come from all over the world. Many seem eager to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share it with their family members. It appears if our missionaries cannot proselyte within the Muslim countries, that they, and many others (Africa, China, India, Russia), are just coming to where the missionaries are.

This past week was taken up with writing/processing emergency projects dealing with the events of the prior week. With our couple in Western Europe tied up with the fires in France, we worked on three projects in Spain. And because another couple was out of town with family business, I (Russell) had two additional wildfire emergency projects in Greece. It is a good thing that everything else is slow in Europe right now, it being vacation season, otherwise the five emergency projects we dealt with this week would have been completely overwhelming. Four of the five emergency projects were completed by weekend, but the largest is still in process and should consume most of our time next week.

                             

The Muellecks will be going home in a week. They hare workhorses in the humanitarian department.   We took them out to our favorite Italian restaurant as a goodbye gift.  We will miss them.  Although we didn't know them when we lived at home, it turns out they live about a mile away from us in the US.  I am sure we will see them when we return home. 

                                                          
                                          

                       We had an area devotional about the progress of the work going forth in the                  Central Europe Area.  

   

We share a car with the Richards who are also serving in the Area Office doing Humanitarian Work. It had been an extremely busy week for us and they asked if we would help them figure out the train in Germany and go down to downtown.  We spent a few hours wandering downtown.                                

              There is an entire store devoted to cheese.  We had some taste tests and then both couples purchased some.
 

There are thousands of love locks put on this bridge. Supposedly the key is supposed to be thrown into the river symbolizing an unbroken and lasting commitment. 

EILEEN DISCOVERS AI

This week much of our attention has been focused on emergency response efforts across the Area. The fires in France and Spain continued to weigh heavily on the work of our department, and additional concerns quickly followed, including the sudden arrival of 60,000 people from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain, on the northern tip of Africa, as well as an earthquake in Naples, Italy. In many of these situations our role is fairly small, and we often find ourselves mostly observing, waiting for direction, and trying to be ready to help in whatever way is needed. 

On Monday morning, and again on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, we had the opportunity to participate in calls regarding the fire near Bordeaux. More than a dozen people joined the calls, including two Seventies from our Area Presidency and two Area Seventies. It was heartening to see how carefully the needs of the local population, both members and non-members, were being monitored and addressed. The Church’s local and Area emergency response efforts seemed to function remarkably well under very difficult circumstances. I was especially touched by the sincere concern expressed by the Area Presidency members for those affected by the fires. Their concern extended beyond physical safety to the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the Saints, which was meaningful to witness. 

Over the past month or so, we have also been involved in implementing an emergency backup communication plan using 40 Starlink mobile units across the Europe Central Area. As part of that effort, I (Russell) have been asked to draft a protocol that can be shared with those who will be involved in setting up or using the system. Each week we meet with the heads of Welfare, Security, and ICS (Information and Communications Services). They review what I have drafted, offer helpful feedback, and then I make the requested changes. A few weeks ago, I began by adapting material from a PowerPoint presentation from a similar project five years ago that our manager had shared with me. I felt the original graphics did not communicate the message as clearly as they could, so we moved the material into an outline format, which everyone seemed to prefer because it was more complete and easier to follow. Our Welfare manager also mentioned an AI app he had recently discovered that could summarize detailed information and create a one-page graphic summary. While I was revising the outline, Eileen downloaded the app and entered my six-page draft. Within seconds, it produced a one-page visual summary. Both the summary and the full protocol outline have now been sent to the group for review before next week’s meeting. We will be interested to see how others respond to it. 

This week Eileen also met online with the doctor who is currently serving as the mission medical advisor for the France Paris South Mission as part of her training. She has also had some initial interaction with the Mission President. I think she will enjoy this opportunity to serve the missionaries in France, in addition to the humanitarian responsibilities we continue to share together.

It's been a slow picture week. I thought I would include this photo taken at the local garden shop.

We had our Zone  farewell party for the Muellecks and the Skidmores.  The Muellecks have served in the humanitarian department with us. They always seem to handle challenges with finesse.  He comes up with some great jokes when times get tough.  It is hard to see friends leave.

The Skidmores served in Family History.  She is a great tennis/pickleball player. 

         I (Eileen) was astonished at how easy it was to make this slide with AI.  

TWO OVERNIGHT MESSAGES

Last night, just before turning out the lights, we received two messages. One brought happy news, and the other more sobering news.

The first contained a link to watch our grandson’s mission homecoming talk, something Eileen and I are very excited about and look forward to viewing. The second message came from one of our managers, asking if we would be willing to travel to Spain, if needed, to assist with humanitarian efforts related to the devastating forest fires there. Large, uncontrolled fires are currently burning in southwest France near Bordeaux and in parts of Spain not far from Madrid. Our counterparts in Paris, Elder and Sister Kershisnik, have already been deployed to Bordeaux. We may learn as soon as tomorrow, or perhaps even sooner, what plans management has for us.

As I was reading in the Book of Mormon this morning, Moroni’s words in Mormon 8:29-31 caught my attention. Speaking of the latter days, he wrote: “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands; and there shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places.”

What stood out to me was not only the reference to fires, but Moroni’s repeated use of the word heard. Last night, people around the world heard about the massive wildfires in France and the evacuation of more than 200,000 people, reportedly the largest evacuation in Europe since World War II. Fires, wars, and natural disasters are not new to our generation, but today we hear of them instantly. Through our phones, televisions, and other technology, events unfolding on the other side of the world become part of our lives within moments.

Tomorrow marks forty-eight years since Eileen and I were married in the Provo Temple. I continue to feel incredibly blessed that she accepted my invitation to become my wife. It is hard to believe nearly five decades have passed since we were young and just beginning our life together. I am deeply grateful for her love, friendship, faith, and unwavering support. She has been a wonderful mother to our children, an extraordinary companion, and now my missionary companion as well. I cherish our life together and look forward to spending eternity by her side.

To celebrate our anniversary, we traveled to Baden-Baden, a beautiful town in Germany’s Black Forest region about two hours south of Frankfurt. We spent the night in a lovely historic hotel and, knowing a thing or two about what Eileen enjoys after all these years, visited a couple of the town’s famous thermal spas. Baden-Baden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its thermal baths, which date back to Roman times. One of the spas we visited was built around 1880 and was considered among the finest in Europe. We also learned that it is “textile free” on most days of the week. Fortunately, we carefully scheduled our visit to ensure it remained missionary appropriate!

While in Baden-Baden, we received word that my Uncle Lowell Carr had passed away. He was ninety years old and had been in declining health since a serious fall several years ago. Uncle Lowell has been a tremendous influence in my life. I have always admired him as a faithful husband, dedicated father, inspired Church leader, and devoted missionary. His early missionary service in France and his ability to speak French likely opened the door for later senior missionary service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He later served in Russia as well, both challenging and demanding assignments. His example of discipleship and service has blessed many lives, including mine.

Although we will miss him, I am grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and the assurance that families can be together forever. I look forward to seeing Uncle Lowell again someday on the other side of the veil.

Russell and Eileen were married on July 27th, 1978.  

A map of some of the fires in Europe. It is supposed to be over 100 degrees in Spain and France this upcoming week. This area desperately needs some rain to provide moisture to the parched land and provide relief to the firefighters. 

Russell's aunt and uncle Lowell and Toni Carr visited our family (five of our 6 children) in Belgium when the Carrs had to be evacuated temporarily from the DRC.  We love and admire the Carrs so much.  

There were 4 new couples trained in the Area Office this week to serve as Welfare Self-Reliance couples.  Ironically the couple across and one down from us (The Shultz couple) we trained 9 years ago when they were in Slovakia doing humanitarian. They are now going to Moldova.  The lady sitting next to us Sister Richards.  We trained Sister Richards sister and husband 9 years ago when they were serving in Modolva.  The Church can be very small once you have served multiple missions.

Eileen trained Sister White for 3 days.  The Whites have been called to serve in the U.A.E.  He will be serving in the legal department and she will be serving in a humanitarian role. 

The Friedrichsbad spa was built at the site of Roman baths from 2000 years ago.  This spa is 147 years old.   This is the spa which only allows swimsuits on Wednesday and Saturday.  Europeans definitely don't have the same mindset about nudity that Americans do. 

The Caracalla spa has 5 huge thermal pools. The spas are fed from underground springs 2000 meters below the surface. The water is mineral water and is supposed to be healing to the skin and joints.  At the Caracalla Spa it is like moving from one enormous jacuzzi to the next, each one having a different temperature thermal water. 

We visited the old castle in Baden-Baden.  It is on the top of a very high hill and was built around 1100 a.d. It is difficult to understand how castles were built so long ago. 

The little dot of green is Russell standing on a higher level of the castle than Eileen.