Geoff & Deborah's Mission to Europe

Our Address via pouch (paper only):

Elder and Sister Geoff & Deborah Lewis

Europe Central Area Office

50 East North Temple

Salt Lake City, UT 84159

Elder Geoff Lewis

US 303-882-9468 Germany +49 176 1449 2242 Email: geofflewis@me.com

Sister Deborah Lewis

US Phone 303-882-9468 (for text or phone) Email: geoffdeb@comcast.net

You will be notified each time Geoff or Deborah adds a post to this blog.

Here is an update on Deborah.  Monday morning she went out on her exercise walk with her friend.  It was cold and icy.  She slipped on some ice.  In order to protect her back, she extended her right arm to brace her fall. This caused her severe pain in her wrist, but her back did not hurt.  I was at the office.  She went to see our senior missionary area medical advisor.  Fortunately, he is an orthopedic surgeon. He recommended that we go to a local hospital. We went to the emergency room.  X-rays revealed a fractured wrist and dislocated thumb.  The medical staff relocated her dislocated thumb which was extremely painful even after receiving a local anesthetic. They put a soft splint on her hand, wrist and arm and directed her to go to a different hospital.  Instead, we went back to our apartment and showed the X-rays to our medical advisor.  These X-rays showed that her thumb had been put back in its socket. He sent them off to the former mission president of the Frankfurt mission who is back in Utah.  He is a hand surgeon.

Monday night Mom was in a lot of pain and was very concerned about what to do if she would need surgery. We have heard bad stories about missionaries having surgery in Germany. She felt that if she needed surgery she would want to fly home for it.  With four weeks to go in our mission, realistically going home for the surgery would mean we would end our mission early. She was physically and emotionally pained by the dilemma.

Tuesday morning we woke up to an encouraging email from the hand surgeon stating that he felt she could get by with a hard cast for six weeks without surgery. We were elated.

So, we headed off to the specialty hospital very encouraged. The hospital took some new X-rays and performed a CT scan.  These images showed that the thumb had become dislocated again and showed a different view of the wrist fracture.  We were sent to the department that specializes in hand surgery. The hand surgeon told her that her thumb needed to be wired in place and that a trauma surgeon needed to put a plate on the fracture of her wrist.  He said both surgeons could work together in a single operation.  He insisted that the surgery needed to be done immediately. Mom was very afraid to go into surgery in a German hospital. 

We said a prayer together in the hallway asking the Lord what we should do.  I immediately felt a warm feeling of comfort and peace come over me and a strong feeling that we should proceed with the surgery.  I felt very good about the surgeons and the hospital. I told Mom this.  She was still terrified.

We sent the X-rays to our medical advisor and got him on the phone with the hand surgeon.  When they were done, we spoke to our medical advisor.  He said he felt that what the German surgeon had explained and proposed made sense.  He said he felt the surgeon was very competent. We discussed that postponing the surgery for a few days until we could pack up and go home would mean ending our mission early.  I told her that it was her decision to make. After a brief moment of reflection, we walked back into the surgeon’s office and Mom said bravely “Let’s go with it.”

The hospital checked us into a private room.  While we were waiting, the trauma surgeon came, introduced himself, and explained how he would screw the plate onto her wrist.  He too, seemed very competent. He said the anesthesiologist would meet with Mom and they would decide if he could do an anesthetic block on her arm or if she would go under general anesthetic. 

At 5:45pm, they came to wheel Mom into the operating room. I asked where I could wait.  They answered that family visiting hours ended at 6pm and told me I could come back at 2pm the next day when visiting hours resumed. That meant I would not be there when she came out of surgery.  It also meant I could not go home and come back with all the items Mom requested me to bring for her overnight stay.

I went home discouraged.  About 7pm I decided I would gather up the items she had requested and go back to the hospital and just boldly walk in and go to her room.  It worked.  Nobody tried to stop me.  So, I left her things on her bedside table.

At 9pm, I received a call from Mom.  Her voice sounded clear and she was her usual cheerful self.  She had received an anesthetic block so she did not go to sleep during the two-hour surgery.  She had no feeling in her arm at the time she was talking to me.  She was able to get a pretty good night’s sleep. 

Wednesday morning they formed a plastic brace to go on her thumb and wrist. I picked her up the next morning at 11am. She has been resting this week and learning to do things with only her left hand.

We met yesterday with our medical advisor.  He looked at the post-operative X-rays and said that the surgeons did an excellent job. We are both feeling confident now that Mom made the correct and courageous decision to have the surgery here.  We are grateful that the Lord answered our prayer for direction.

In two weeks, Mom will go back to the hospital and have her brace changed to a shorter version that will allow her to flex her wrist. She will go home with the short brace.  I will be doing the packing and carrying the suitcases.  After we are home a week or two, she will have the stitches and wires removed. This will not require surgery.  Then, she will be almost back to normal. In about six months, she may need surgery to have the thumb joint replaced.  That will go on her list along with a badly needed knee replacement.

FROM DEBORAH: I always check the weather and ground surface before I walk. I will not walk on ice. Monday morning it was above freezing with snow coming later in the day. The ground looked good so Ella Romney and I headed off to the cemetery to walk. Although I could not see ice, I could tell when I put down my right foot I was going down. Immediately I bent my knees and prayed for a soft landing. I did not realize I put my hand down until I was still. My first question did I hurt my back? I did a self-exam and knew that it was OK. When I tried to stand up, I knew something was wrong with my hand or wrist. I am grateful Ella was there. She called the mission medical doctor, and walked right beside me up to his apartment. She stayed with me until Geoff arrived. I am so grateful. Geoff has been by my side the entire week.

WARNING: The X-ray images following the picture of Mom smiling with her brace and flowers are graphic so don’t scroll down if those sort of images make you queasy.

The top arrow shows the dislocated thumb.  The arrow points to the socket where the thumb bone should be resting in normal position. The bottom arrow points to the diagonal line indicating the fracture of the wrist.

This post-operative X-ray shows the metal wires inserted to hold her thumb in the joint.  The wires will be removed in six weeks.

This X-ray shows the titanium plate screwed onto her wrist with seven screws to hold the wrist bone together so it can heal.  This plate will remain permanently.

This X-ray shows the side view of her wrist with the plate being held on with four screws placed horizontally at the top and three screws placed below.

WE WILL BE HOME ON FEB. 22nd!

As missionaries we bear the name of Jesus Christ.  Literally. We always wear a black name tag that bears our name and his.

D&C 18

21  Take upon you the name of Christ.

22  And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

23  Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;

24  Wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father, for in that name shall they be called at the last day

I have been studying and pondering on the use of the word “name” in the scriptures and the phrases “in the name” and “in his name.”  When something is pointed out to you, you develop a cognitive bias and begin to notice it everywhere.  It is not more prevalent than it was before.  It’s just that you notice it in a way you had not previously done.  So it is with me and the use of the word “name” in the scriptures.  I see it everywhere. I have found that the name of Christ can mean many things.

It can signify power and authority:  Acts 3:6 – Peter says to the lame man: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

It can describe our identity:  Mos 5:9  Whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

It can be symbolic of a covenant:  Mos 5: 8   I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant.

It can be a reminder to be obedient:  Mor 4:3  [We] witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that [we] are willing to take upon [us] the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments.

It can signify obedience:  Mos 5: 8   I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

It represents His presence: Matt 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

It can be a connection to the Father:  Mor 4:3   O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ.

It is essential to the plan of exaltation: Alma 5:48  And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.

It signifies His greatness:  Exodus 3:13-14  What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

It represents His eternal nature: D&C 38:1 – Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

His name represents that He is above all and within all. The statement “I Am” has profound theological implications: It represents God’s transcendence and immanence.

As missionaries, we are pleased and humbled to bear His name both literally and spiritually.  We bear witness of Him, in His name, amen.

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We start with a picture of us in our new office. This is where we spend Monday through Friday. It is not as glamourous as the pictures of our side trips which we show below. But, this is where we spend almost all of our time serving.

We took a trip to Switzerland. It is the most beautiful place we have ever been.

We took a trip to Bavaria and visited Munich during Oktoberfest, Salzburg, Austria, and Neuschwanstein (Cinderella castle).

Each year, the Europe Central Area produces a Christmas video. This year one of the features was a choir with soloists in the concert hall in Wiesbaden. Deborah and three other senior sisters tried out and made the choir.

Last weekend Geoff led a day trip across the border to Haguenau, France where we engaged in a boulangerie/patisserie crawl. We hit four shops (one of them twice). We also went to a large supermarket to load up on delicious French specialties. We then visited shops in a small town that is the pottery capital of the Alsace region.

Today Ella Romney and I taught Relief Society. The lesson was Pres. Russell M. Nelson’s October 2023 Conference address titled “Think Celestial!” What a treasure to teach the Prophets words with my dear friend!

Ella opened by sharing how we met 40 years ago in Dallas, Texas. We were just starting out as new wives and mothers. Now, 40 years later, we are together again here in Frankfurt serving the Lord.

Since our lesson was on thinking celestial and how our choices matter, I shared the following story of the positive influence Ella had on me. Growing up, I loved choir music, especially the Tabernacle Choir. I love to sing. Twice in my teenage years and once in college I went to choir practice and was asked to leave. In high school, my voice did not fit in. In college, only music majors could participate. I still wanted to sing in college, so I took a group beginning voice class. After listening to me sing, the instructor said I had a mediocre voice, so the highest grade I would receive would be a mediocre one. Did I still want to proceed? I said yes and received a mediocre grade. But at the end of the semester, I came away saying to myself that I would never put myself through that again and I stopped singing.

Time passed and a few years later Geoff and I moved to Dallas. Ella invited me to sing with her in the Ward choir. I declined but she kept insisting, “We need  people, we need you!” Because of her encouragement to come and participate, music fills my soul again and my heart sings. I have gone on to sing in every ward choir where we have lived: Texas, California, Colorado, Oregon and back to Colorado. I have sung the Messiah every year at Christmas time, and I can sing every part.  I love it so much. In 1993, at the age of 33, I started taking voice lessons. I won first place in the Colorado music teachers state competition for the “over 30” group.  I tried out and was accepted to sing in the Colorado Mormon Chorale. We sang the National Anthem at a Colorado Rockies baseball game. I also sang the National Anthem solo at the Oregon Special Olympics. I sing to Music and the Spoken Word with the Tabernacle Choir every week. I used to be able to sing the first verse of every song in the hymn book from memory. Now my memory is fading and my voice is aging so that skill is not so sharp. But music still fills my soul with joy and thanksgiving. I dream of being part of heavenly choirs to sing praises to my Savior and Redeemer.

Why this story today? Because what we do matters, both for ourselves and for others. Pres. Nelson said, “I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible.”

Also: “Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be!”

One more story I shared today:

When I was 17, I learned I had severe scoliosis. Within two weeks I went in for surgery and my back was fused from my neck to my hips.  After ten days in the hospital, I was sent home wearing a plaster cast that fit me like a giant, thick tank top. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror with tears running down my face because I looked so ugly.  My mom came in the bathroom and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. She gently said, “Some things in life you will not be able to control or change, like this cast. But you get to choose who you will be. You can choose to be an angry, bitter person or you can choose to smile and be beautiful on the inside.” In essence, my mom was inviting me to become like Christ. Pres. Nelson said, “When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view–an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws. Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand eternal reward tomorrow.” I chose then, and I choose now, to think celestial.

Summer 2023

Missionary Life from Deborah:

It has been a unique and wonderful experience to live in an apartment building with 26 sets of young and senior missionaries. AND be able to walk across the parking lot to the Area Office and Church building.  Two weeks ago, we said goodbye to the Porthstrasse Area Office.  Many years ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought a large office building 20 minutes north of Frankfurt called Phoenix Haus. The purpose of the new building is for all employees and service missionaries who work in the Europe Central Area to work under the same roof. Currently, there are over 300 employees and 70 senior missionaries in three buildings around the Frankfurt area. After many years of planning and renovation, the first wave of employees moved in April.  In July, we, the Office of General Counsel, packed up the old offices and a few days later, unpacked in the new offices.  Instead of a five minute walk, we have a 15 minute drive. So we say goodbye to one office and say hello to new adventures. I look back with fondness and gratitude that I had the opportunity to experience a piece of heaven within walking distance. I look forward to being part of what lies ahead in the Lord’s work with hundreds of us serving and working under one roof. This will take several more months. I am grateful that our entire group of attorneys and spouses could move at the same time.  There is unity and camaraderie in serving together and being together daily.

BYU Pathway Service

My service as a BYU Pathway missionary is coming to a close. I am grateful for the opportunity to love, support and learn from several from a few students here in the Europe Area. Theya are incredible people.

Let me share a story of how I gained a better understanding of perspective from Mohammed.  One week, Mohammed was the lead student. He started class by reading the question: “What do you gain from the obstacles that are in your life?” Mohammed answered, “Obstacles are things that drag you down. So no matter what it takes, finish what you start. Your God will help you accomplish if you turn to him.”

After class, Mohammed shared one obstacle in his life.  Two years ago, he moved to Cyprus from Liberia on a student visa.  The conditions to stay in Cyprus are be a student and earn a degree. If he leaves the country before receiving a certificate or degree, he can never return to Cyprus. His family cannot afford to visit him and so he has been alone for two years.  If he goes home, he returns to poverty and probably would not have another chance to improve his life.

When grades came out, Mohammed failed one course. Because he did not pass, he cannot receive the BYU Pathway completion certificate and the computer programming certificate. For 20 weeks he has completed all of his assignments with just his cell phone. When Sister Baagii and I heard the news that he did not pass, we were so worried. When we talked to him, he said, “I did not pass. I know that. I have learned that I absolutely love computer programming and that is what I want to do with my life. I have learned I need a computer and I need an internet connection I can rely on. I am disappointed that I cannot graduate in five weeks. But I want to finish what I started. So Sisters, what do I need to do next?” We talked about his options, which include waiting until September to retake the certificate. He said, “That is disappointing. Instead of a certificate in July, I have to wait until December. I will start saving now. “ Thank you Mohammed for your example.

Deborah’s Pathway Connect class. From top left to right: Jose from Peru via Spain, Deborah with her companion Sister Baagii from Mongolia via Vienna, Jodiline from Portugal via Cape Verde, Geimar from Venezuala via Spain, Maria from Brazil via Portugal, Shane from England, Mimi from Ghana via Cypress, Donatella from Peru via Italy via Germany, and Mohammed from Liberia via Cypress.

FRANCE – ALSACE

Geoff served the first seven months of his young mission in Colmar, France. He has been anxious to return to the Alsace Region of France where Colmar is located. It sits between the Rhine River and the Vosges mountains just 2-1/2 hours from Frankfurt. We traveled there for his birthday in June. We were mesmerized by castles, vineyards, stork nests, canals, half-timbered, storybook villages, and amazing French cuisine. We were able to attend the Colmar Branch on Sunday. They have a nice, small chapel. There was one member there who was born just after Geoff served there, but Geoff remembered his parents well.

There is a famous restaurant and hotel in Colmar called “La Maison des Tetes” (House of Heads). The facade is adorned with over 100 sculpted heads. The restaurant has a Michelin star. It has had the Michelin star for over 50 years. Geoff remembers riding his bike frequently past the Maison des Tetes and wondering what it would be like to eat in such a famous restaurant. Well, 45 years later he found out as he and Deborah enjoyed a 14-course meal (including five amuse bouche) for four hours and spent two nights in the hotel. Never has “deferred gratification” had more meaning.

FRANCE – COTE D’AZUR

We enjoyed another taste of France during a trip to the Riviera for four days in July. We basked in the sun, the coastline, the mountains, the flowers, and the food for an unforgettable trip to Nice, Cannes, Grasse, and Monte Carlo.

On April 27^th my mother passed to the next life to rejoin my father. She passed peacefully and painlessly.  Now there is one less angel on earth and one more in heaven. We knew when we left on our mission that she might pass while we were in Germany.  That is one of the hard things about leaving on a senior mission. Fortunately, we were able to speak with her on Face Time the day before she slipped into unconsciousness.  We then flew to Utah to attend her memorial service. That travel is allowed for senior missionaries. We flew from Frankfurt to Denver and stayed with Ryan and Whitney and their children for two days since only Ryan was going to be able to attend the memorial service. We then spent five days in Utah, culminating in the memorial service. We stayed with Deborah’s parents.  During the trip we saw all of our children and grandchildren.  That was a tender mercy.

My mother was 93 and not suffering from any serious medical conditions.  She passed due to advanced age.  Two years ago, she fell and broke her hip.  Since then, she has been confined to a wheelchair.  That caused her to lose her will to live. She has wanted to pass and rejoin my father. We miss her very much. We know because of our testimony of the Savior and His Atonement, that through the sealing power of the Priesthood, she and my father are together and we too can be with them again one day.

Geoff has been working on special projects in Turkey where the Church is not legally recognized.  These projects include humanitarian aid (primarily to the earthquake affected region), distribution of Church materials, and reorganization of the Church’s legal entities in the country. One special project is seeking to relocate two Iranian members of the Church who are living in a refugee camp.  They cannot return to Iran for fear of being jailed or killed.  They joined the Church while living in the refugee camp in Turkey.  We don’t have any missionaries in Turkey, but there are individuals who find the Gospel on the internet or through the few members we do have in the country.  Sam and Kate, the brother and sister I am writing about, speak fluent English and have worked to translate some Church materials into Farci (or Persian), the official language of Iran.  The Church would like to hire them as full-time translators, but this is difficult to do while they remain with refugee status in Turkey.  There are very limited opportunities for refugees to relocate.  Australia has one of the best programs, so we are exploring that opportunity.  It is a long shot, so please join us in praying for Sam and Kate.

Other projects have included working through legal and tax issues related to installing solar panels on the roofs of meetinghouses throughout various countries in Europe. The question is whether the sale of excess electricity generated by the panels and sold back to the utility would constitute a commercial enterprise and jeopardize the Church’s tax-exempt status. Another project involves working to get some of the Church’s meetinghouse sites in Spain declared exempt from real estate taxes. That is not an issue in most of the world, but it is in Spain.

On the travel front, we spent the Easter holidays in Paris.  We attended the Paris temple, saw all the famous sites and museums, and ate at some great restaurants.

A week after returning to Frankfurt, we were off to Holland during the peak of the tulip season. We marveled at the beauty and quantity of the flowers.  We also visited an amazing site on the coast with seven original windmills.

Recently, we substitute taught the Primary class for nine year old’s.  We had five students.  One has an Italian father and a Chinese mother.  Another is from an American family.  Another is from a Portuguese family.  Another has an Italian father and a Peruvian mother.  Another is from a Chinese family.  We had a visitor from West Africa. We had a wonderful lesson in English, which all of the children speak fluently!

First, the most important news: OLIVIA ARTEMIS LEWIS, born in Henderson, Nevada to Taylor and Ashley and new big-brother Harvey Apollo Lewis. All are doing well. Olivia is our tenth grandchild. Probably the hardest thing about the mission so far is not being able to hold her.

From Deborah: Olivia’s birth has caused me to pause many times and feel the love Heavenly Father has for her and each one of us.  I know He lives.  I know He has always loved us and always will. There is nothing we can do to prevent Him from loving us. He wants us to be happy in this life and have happiness forever in the world to come. We can if we trust Him by turning to His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ. 

Olivia Artemis Lewis – 9 Mar 2023

TREE OF LIFE

From Deborah: One morning I went walking in the cemetery. It was grey and raining hard. As I walked into a clearing, I saw this white magnolia tree glistening and shimmering. My first thought was I had found the tree of life and I wanted to share it with Geoff. Shortly before dark, I went back to the cemetery with Geoff. After several wrong turns, we found it! There it was still glistening and I could share it with Geoff. I thought of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life and how he pressed forward to the tree and partook of the fruit and was filled with joy. He then wanted to share with his family. I felt like Lehi, I wanted to share the happiness I felt with Geoff. This experience caused me to think about why I am here on a mission. I have found such joy and happiness in the love Heavenly Father has for me. I want to share His love and the hope of eternal happiness. 

TURKEY EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

We would like to share with you more about what the Church is doing to assist the survivors of the earthquake in Turkey. Last November we had a new senior missionary couple assigned to Frankfurt to work in the Welfare/Humanitarian department.  They are Swiss.  Before his recent retirement, Elder Huber was one of Switzerland’s leading disaster management experts. He had supervised rigorous, 72-hour computer simulations of massive earthquakes which helped the Swiss government prepare to deal with disaster conditions much like those in Türkiye.

The Huber’s assignment to Frankfurt-Humanitarian was inspired for two reasons.  First, the enormous and devastating earthquake in Turkey occurred within weeks of them arriving.  Elder Huber’s background was uniquely suited to help with disaster response. Second, the Turkish government is not currently favorably disposed to Americans.  Because the Huber’s are Swiss, they were able to immediately travel to Turkey to find ways the Church could help with response.

As soon as it was safe, the Hubers travelled to Türkiye to get an accurate assessment of the conditions on the ground and how the Church could supply immediate relief. Based on their evaluation, a few projects were designed and approved by the Church. Upon evaluating the situation and reflecting on the dimension of the problem, Elder Huber stated, “The needs of these people are great. I must think big. I cannot be shy.”

The result of that visit was the launch of projects that will provide 50,000 hygiene boxes and 50,000 food boxes, each of which supports four to six people for a week. The food boxes contain products suited to the dietary requirements of Ramadan, the month-long holy season observed by the Muslim faithful that goes this year from March 22 to April 20. The items for these food boxes will be purchased from local vendors. AFAD will arrange transportation and delivery. The items are being distributed in the areas affected by the natural disaster. So far, the Church is assisting in 18 relief projects for Türkiye and Syria that amount to more than 11.5 million USD.

The Church also ordered four large, self-contained mobile medical clinics. Each clinic consists of four containers – OB-GYN, laboratory, sanitary and x-ray, and several large tents for triage, examination and in-patient care. Staffed by medical providers arranged through the Turkish Ministry of Health, the facilities will be delivered complete with generator, air filtering, air conditioning, heat, water purification, and all necessary medical equipment and supplies. Miraculously, three additional such mobile clinics, donated by the Church eight years ago to help Syrian refugees, were located intact and will also be sent to serve the earthquake victims.  These clinics consist of eight or so interconnected tent like structures that have examination rooms, surgery rooms, bedrooms, a shower and bathroom and a kitchen. I have attached some pictures below to show what they will look like.  These field hospitals cost $1.2 million each.

The Church is not an officially recognized religious institution in Turkey, although we have four branches there.  Worldwide, when the Church makes donations of materials and equipment it is done through the Church’s affiliate, LDS Charities. Something important about these recent donations, is that they are being done through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Istanbul Association, the Church’s legal entity in Turkey. I have electronic copies of donation letters on letterhead from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Istanbul Association that bear an acknowledgment signature from the head of the Turkish Ministry of Health and from the head of AFAD, the Turkish ministry of disaster and emergency management.  That is a remarkable step.

The Church also ordered four large, self-contained mobile medical clinics. Each clinic consists of four containers – OB-GYN, laboratory, sanitary and x-ray, and several large tents for triage, examination and in-patient care. Staffed by medical providers arranged through the Turkish Ministry of Health, the facilities will be delivered complete with generator, air filtering, air conditioning, heat, water purification, and all necessary medical equipment and supplies. Miraculously, three additional such mobile clinics, donated by the Church eight years ago to help Syrian refugees, were located intact and will also be sent to serve the earthquake victims.

The Huber’s came back to Frankfurt for a week and then returned to the earthquake affected areas in Turkey.  They continue to work with AFAD and other organizations to find more ways the Church can help.

WHEELCHAIR PROJECTS

I recently took on the assignment of reviewing contracts the Church uses in connection with its wheelchair program.  The Church is constantly making humanitarian donations of large numbers of wheelchairs (500 or so at a time) throughout the world to areas in need. The Church bears the cost of shipping the chairs and training organizations in how to fit wheelchairs to persons with different disabilities. 

VISAS

On the visa front, we have new Mission Leaders with children coming to Hungary, Poland, and Romania.  They get high priority for assistance with visas.  We don’t want young missionaries to go without Mission Leaders. They also need different visas than young missionaries because they stay for three years and receive a stipend (we don’t call it wages or employment, but some countries view it the same). When Ryan served his mission in Hungary, the country had its own mission.  It has since been combined with Romania.  Now the Church is splitting it back into separate missions for each country. The Church has also announced a temple for Budapest, Hungary.  The Office of General Counsel here is working with the Temple Department to locate land for the Temple.

CHURCH LEGAL STRUCTURE IN FRANCE

France is different from other countries in many respects.  The one I am focusing on is a legal limitation on the activities a religious organization can be involved with.  The Church’s legal entity in France can be involved in ecclesiastical activities, but not commercial activities.  This means the Church can conduct meetings, own meetinghouses and the temple, and have seminary and institute.  The Church’s legal entity in France cannot have a distribution center (for books, teaching materials and temple garments) or temple patron housing. If it were to engage in those activities it would lose its tax-exempt status.  That would mean the Church would have to pay taxes and members could not receive a tax deduction for their tithes and offerings.  Who knew the Church had these kinds of issues to deal with? So, we have set up a Great Britain entity that owns and manages those activities. That means, however, the Church must have two separate reporting lines for employees.  A manager on the ecclesiastical side cannot manage employees on the temporal side. That is very inefficient.  I am working with a law firm in France to develop a legal structure where the Temple Recorder can have dual employment by both the French Association and the Great Britain entity.  That way he can manage together temple employees, facility managers, and patron housing staff. Fascinating, huh?

ITALY REQUIREMENT TO HIRE DISABLED WORKERS

Italy has passed a law saying that 15% of an employer’s workforce must be comprised of disabled persons.  If the employer does not comply, the government maintains a list of disabled persons and can compel the employer to hire from that list.  This is problematic for the Church because we require all employees to hold a temple recommend.  That limits the pool of prospective employees.  It is difficult for the Church to full its employment needs with abled workers, let alone those who are disabled. So, guess who gets to work with the human resources department to find a legally compliant solution?

RONNEBURG MEDIEVAL FAIR

The other day, Deborah and I visited the nearby town of Ronneburg where there is a large castle.  At the castle they were having an Easter Fair and a Renaissance Fair. There was a discount on the entrance fee if you dressed head to toe in medieval or Renaissance clothing. About 20% of the attendees did this. So, with the staff and patrons walking around dressed in period clothing, it made the castle come alive. There were vendors selling all kinds of period clothing and weapons.  There was an Easter market selling beautifully decorated eggs and hearts (hearts are a symbol of Easter in Germany – how appropriate).

GENERAL CONFERENCE

We are in the middle of watching General Conference. It is strange with the eight-hour time change. We watched the Saturday morning session last night at 6pm. We went over to the house of Deborah’s Seminary teaching companion and watched with 15 of the youth. They are remarkable young men and women and seem very close knit. They all are going through the experience of being ex-patriots in Germany and a very small minority in their schools (two international schools, a French school, and a German school).

One of the students is 14-year old Lynn Picard from Bordeaux, France. Her father, Paul Picard, was just called as an Area Seventy this week. I was talking with him a while ago. I told him how rewarding it was for me to see second and third generation members of the Church in Europe. When I served many years ago, almost all of the members were first generation and the children were primary aged. Paul responded that he was one of those young children. His wife, Elodie, is a life-long member of the Church raised in French Guyana (off the coast of Venezuela). Now, in addition to Lynn, they have two third-generation children who have served missions and he has been called to the Seventy. How wonderful.

Well, if you scroll down, you won’t see any pictures of Paris. When we posted our last blog update we said we were waiting for our residency cards so we could go to Paris for six days over Christmas. Guess what?  The residency cards did not arrive. We can’t legally travel outside Germany without them.  We were scheduled to take the train to Paris on Christmas Eve.  We waited until the day before and then cancelled.  We were so disappointed. However, it turned out to be a blessing.  On Christmas Day, Deborah came down with bronchitis and was very sick for about five days.  It would have been miserable to be stuck in a hotel room in Paris.  So, for Thanksgiving we both had COVID and for Christmas Deborah had bronchitis.

We did have a wonderful Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.  On Christmas Eve we went down to the old city in the heart of Frankfurt. At 5pm, all the church’s across the city ring their bells nonstop for 30 minutes.  We were in the middle of it packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. At the conclusion of the bell ringing, a band on the roof of the cathedral played Silent Night and the entire crowd sang along. Silent Night was composed by an Austrian, Franz Gruber.  It is a tradition here to sing it on Christmas Eve.  They do not sing it before that.

On New Year’s Eve we went out with a group for hamburgers, fries, and shakes at a cute restaurant decorated in the theme of an Alpine chalet. We came home and Geoff stayed up until midnight. At the stroke of midnight, fireworks erupted all over the city. No, not official fireworks displays.  These were people setting off fireworks from every corner in every neighborhood.  Big aerial fireworks! As we stood on our 12^th floor balcony, we could see fireworks everywhere for 180 degrees.  There were people setting them off from the parking lot next door.  They were exploding right at eye level for us.  We were afraid one would land in our balcony. Deborah had gone to bed.  As soon as the fireworks started, I sensed it was going to be something special, so I quickly woke her up.  The fireworks went nonstop for half an hour. It was spectacular. On New Year’s Day there was fireworks debris on every corner and all over the streets. The next day, it was all cleaned up very German, neat and tidy. As I watched the city lit up with fireworks, I couldn’t help but think of the irony that 70 years ago the city was constantly being lit up at night by Allied bombers as the city was leveled. That has long since been forgotten by the New Year’s Eve revelers.

Work is going well.  Geoff has taken on additional responsibility for visas and a Turkey task force. The Office of General Counsel does not get involved in routine missionary visas.  We get involved in special situations. For example, Ukrainian young men fled to the Czech Republic when the war broke out.  While there, eight of them put in their missionary applications and were called to serve in the Czech Republic.  The challenge is that they entered the Czech Republic on refugee visas which expire after nine months.  Geoff is working to help them extend their refugee visas or get regular visas so they can stay for the 24-month duration of their missions. Another prospective missionary is a Ukrainian refugee living in Germany.  He wants to submit his papers to receive a mission call.  His Ukrainian passport and German residency card expire in January.  We are trying to get him extensions.  We have a Mongolian missionary in Switzerland which is part of the Alpine German Speaking Mission.  He has a Swiss visa but he needs visas for Germany and Austria if he is to be transferred to those areas in his mission.  There are more permutations of visa issues than you can imagine.  This is especially true because we have missionaries coming from all over the world to serve in other parts of the world.  You don’t get that perspective as much in the US. The Lord is gathering missionaries from all over the world to work in the gathering of Israel.  It’s a gathering within a gathering!

About 10 days ago the Office of General Counsel in the Europe Central Area created a small task force for the country of Turkey.  This was before the earthquake (more about that later) and has nothing to do with it.  We are looking at the special challenges that the Church has getting established in Turkey which is a Muslim country.  There are five small branches across the country.  There are no young or senior missionaries there.  Several years ago during the most recent coup, some Church members were wrongly accused of being part of the coup.  That caused problems for the Church so it pulled out the few young and senior missionaries who were serving there.  Turkey is now part of the Bulgaria/Turkey mission.  We have many legal challenges there.  One is getting the Church officially recognized.  There are only two or three Christian churches that have legal recognition in Turkey.  Another is cleaning up the structure of the Church legal entity.  The legal entity is required to have a Board of Directors composed of Turkish citizens.  This poses two problems.  First, the Church would not have control over the entity if no member of the Area Presidency were on the Board.  There is no Mission President or Stake President living in the country.  Second, Church members are unwilling to serve on the Board because they would be officially registered with the government as such, and this could put a target on them.

Another problem we have is importing Books of Mormon and other Church published materials.  Anything imported into Turkey has to have a paper seal affixed to it after it is inspected by government officials.  Those officials are not currently approving Christian materials to come in.

Notwithstanding these and other challenges, Every month the Mission President in Bulgaria travels to Turkey with four young Elders.  They dress in casual clothes with no name tag.  Each trip they will baptize a handful of converts who found the Church and the Book of Mormon on the internet and were taught virtually.  Members can gather legally for Sacrament and other meetings in rented locations so long as they are quiet (no singing) and respectful and do not disturb anyone.

Now, back to the earthquake.  The employees and senior missionaries in the Humanitarian/Welfare department here in the Area Office have been meeting with Turkish officials to coordinate Church assistance.  In addition to the money the Church is donating, the government is requesting the Church donate certain items.  WARNING:  dark humor coming up so skip to the next paragraph if you are faint of heart. The officials asked the church for cots, blankets, and body bags (how sad). Corpses are decomposing and present a health risk. With 25,000 dead, this is a serious issue.  The problem is that any materials the Church donates have a sticker or tag attached to them that says “Donated by LDS Charities.”  The head of the Humanitarian Department in Europe Central decided it would not be appropriate to have body bags adorned with “LDS Charities.”  So, the Church is donating money, cots, and blankets and continuing to determine what other items it can donate.

Geoff and Deborah have received a Zone calling to lead a service committee.  We are looking for ways the senior missionary couples can provide service above and beyond their primary calling.  Some will be called to work one day per week in the Frankfurt Temple. Some who speak German will be attending Sacrament Meeting in small branches and giving talks.  Some (including Deborah) are teaching Seminary on the one day per week when the students come together in person (they are on Zoom the other days of the week). Some are supporting the full-time Humanitarian senior missionaries.  We have a senior couple from Switzerland who just arrived.  The Elder served his career in the Swiss Army (and he’s got the knife to prove it!) specializing in disaster preparedness and response. Guess who is preparing the plan for Church assistance in Turkey?  It is clear why the Lord sent him here just two months ago.

FROM DEBORAH: I am grateful for the opportunity to help facilitate a gathering class for BYU Pathway.  It has been particularly hard for me to learn the BYU Pathway education program and the online process at the same time and be expected to run the gathering and answer all the questions the students have. Fortunately my companion, Sis. Baagii from Austria, was a BYU Pathway student a few years ago and is incredible!  I don’t know why, but I have been designated the one in charge of the Zoom calls.  We have had seven weeks of class and I have had technical difficulties every class.  I feel so bad for the students. Why did the oldest person get assigned technology? Thursday all 13 students were trying to help me trouble shoot. After all the suggestions failed, Shane who was leading the class, changed his teaching plan and proceeded to teach in a different format. He did a fabulous job in spite of the technical difficulties. I think because of the problems, the students rallied around Shane. The hour was filled with thoughtful discussion and insights. Our students have bonded. I see how much Heavenly Father loves all of His children and is providing a way for each person lift themselves and improve their circumstances.  I have 13 students from 9 countries. 12 students speak 2-4 languages, with English being their second language. Pathway is set up so English is the common language and everyone must speak in English. This helps them practice speaking, writing and leading the discussions.

Last week the topic for discussion was perseverance. One of the questions was “what is one hard thing you have experienced in life and how did you persevere?” The follow up question was “What is one thing that disappointed you about BYU Pathway and why did you continue?” One man said he was disappointed at first that the lessons seemed so simple. Then he tried to complete the homework assignments. He said, “I had to read the math assignment in English, then translate to Russian, answer the question in Russian and then translate my answer to English. If the problems had been harder, I would have been too discouraged to try.”  The students related and encouraged each other to continue. I gained a greater appreciation for Jesus invitation to “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Matthew 5:36-37.  I encourage you to be a little kinder and more forgiving to someone this week.  

Winter is Here

One of the things we were apprehensive about coming to Frankfurt was the cold, winter weather.  Well, it has arrived with vengeance.  In fact, it has been much colder than normal.  We have had a week of sub-freezing weather and a little snow.  The humid cold is more than what we are used to in Colorado.  We are grateful that last week we were able to move to an apartment right next door to the Area Office.  We have a 200-foot commute to work.  We are glad not to have the one kilometer walk each way to and from our last apartment.  We are on the 12^th floor of a 13-story high-rise.  The apartment (and kitchen) is a little smaller, but we have a commanding view of the Frankfurt skyline. We came to Frankfurt three months ago with two suitcases plus a carry-on for each of us.  We were amazed at how much we had accumulated.

One area Geoff has been working on is humanitarian donations.  You are probably aware that the Church makes multi-million dollar donations for relief when major disasters occur.  These often get publicity.  What you do not hear much about are the hundreds and hundreds of smaller donations. The Church has senior missionary couples throughout the world looking for opportunities where the Church can assist local charities by donating funds or materials and equipment usually with a value ranging from $5,000-30,000.  When the missionaries find an opportunity, they submit a proposal to the senior humanitarian couple for the Europe Central Area.  If it is approved, they prepare a Letter of Donation.  The form and details of the letter need to be approved from a legal perspective by the Office of the General Counsel.  The letter must include the name of the local Church entity in the country, the name of the cooperating organization (local Charity), the details of what is being donated and certain legal disclaimers to protect the Church.  So far, Geoff has reviewed and approved letters in the past two months for:

Albania – chicken coops, medical supplies, food, fuel for orphanage, medical equipment

Belgium – winter clothing for refugees

Bosnia and Herzegovina – dairy processing equipment, food and hygiene products for refugees

Bulgaria – food

France – hygiene kits for homeless

Hungary – food, medication, cleaning supplies, toiletries, baby supplies, toys & educational equipment

Italy – housing for refugees, food for Ukrainian refugees, medical assistance for refugees

Kosovo – nursery beds for nursery damaged by fire, food and medical supplies

Macedonia – funding for legal aid for refugees seeking asylum

Montenegro – garbage receptacles, food for Roma families with young children

Romania – tents for refugees, surgical equipment, Ronald McDonald House, appliances for disabled

Serbia – school furniture, portable showers in a bus, food products, firewood, educational materials

Slovakia – emergency supplies for Roma displaced by apartment fire

Spain – materials for refugee women, winter clothing, utilities, food for food bank

Please pray for our senior couple missionaries who ease suffering, strengthen individuals and families and shed the Light of Christ wherever they serve.  These missionaries truly spread the Spirit of Christmas all year long. “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.””  Matt 25:40

Ten days ago, we went to France for lunch on a Saturday. The Area Legal Counsel (Geoff’s boss) served as a young missionary in the Paris mission.  He is passionate about French bakeries.  He planned an office trip to a US WW2 military cemetery just across the border in Saint Avold, France.  The itinerary was as follows:  Drive two hours to Saint Avold, stop at a bakery, visit the cemetery, return to the bakery for lunch, and drive home.  It was wonderful.  The cemetery there is the second largest US military cemetery in France.  There are 10,000 UD soldiers buried there.  It is second only to Normandy.  The families of fallen soldiers had the choice to have their sons returned to the US or to be buried in France in a military cemetery.  About 40% of families elected

We took a weekend trip to Rothenburg which is about two hours away.  Rothenburg is a medieval walled city that was virtually untouched during WW2.  It is the village the Disney Imagineers used to model the setting for the original, animated Pinocchio movie decades ago (even though the real Pinocchio is from an Italian village).  It was all decorated with lights and had a beautiful little Weihnachtmrkt (Christmas Market).  After dark, we took a Night Watchman’s tour of the city for an hour.  The guide dressed as a medieval night watchman and told us all about what life was like for the watchman and the residents in Medieval times.

We don’t yet know what we will be doing for Christmas.  We planned a trip to Paris, but there is a catch.  We have applied for a residency permit.  Until it comes, we are not allowed to leave the country (we cheated when we went just across the border to Saint Avold).  We are praying it comes in the next three days so we can go.  If not, we will celebrate Christmas here in Germany.  We will try to plan a quick trip to Bavaria.

Geoff is working to keep the lights and heat on in the Rome and Paris temples.  The Church has entered into twelve-month energy supply contracts for the Rome and Paris temples.  The contracts expire on December 31st.  Because the war in Ukraine has caused energy costs in Europe to increase many-fold, the energy companies are asking for significant price increases on onerous terms.  They are also requiring assurances of ability to pay and large security deposits.  Geoff is supporting the Purchasing Department of the Church in Europe.  We are scrambling to find providers for the Rome and Paris temples on terms acceptable to the Church.  We need to get contracts reviewed by local counsel and signed by the end of the year.  We are also working on supply contracts for Denmark and Norway.  Although the temple complexes are the biggest single users of light and heat, these contracts also cover all of the meetinghouses in each country.  As you sit in Sacrament Meeting you probably have never thought about all the legal work that went into purchasing, building, maintaining, lighting, and heating Church buildings.  Part of religious freedom is the right to assemble for worship.  For that, we need a structure that protects us from the elements and is lighted and heated. Part of temple worship is having a functioning temple where we can perform sacred ordinances.

The Church has a requirement that every Church employee hold a current temple recommend. The Church has over one thousand employees in Europe.  I have no idea what the worldwide number is.  Imagine the challenge the Church has in hiring the quality and quantity of employees needed in Europe among the available pool of temple recommend holders.  I work with employees who have expertise in utility contracts, materials purchasing, logistics, human resources, real estate, construction, fleet management, building maintenance, IT, communications, finance, treasury, legal, and on and on.  It is one thing to find those areas of expertise in Utah among members who hold temple recommends, but in Europe it is a much greater challenge.  The employees I work with come from all over Europe.  I am routinely working with outstanding employees from the UK, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Finland, and Ukraine.  It is a testimony to me of the Lord’s Church that He provides capable and dedicated employees to administer its temporal affairs.  Not to mention volunteers who administer the spiritual affairs!

The Church faces a challenge when an employee fails to maintain worthiness to hold a temple recommend.  If the situation cannot be remedied quickly, the employee is discharged for violating the terms of his employment.  Geoff is working on a case in Germany where an employee was terminated for this reason.  The employee is now suing the Church claiming that it is unlawful to require a temple recommend as a condition of employment.  The Church faces this challenge in the US and other countries as well.  A tenet of religious freedom is the right of a church to govern its internal affairs.  Requiring adherence to church doctrine and standards flows from this.  The laws of the US, Germany and most other countries support this right as part of religious freedom.  Unfortunately, this right is under increasing attack.  Our legal counsel in Germany tells us that the law is on our side but that activist, secular judges in Germany (just as in the US) are making decisions based on what they think the law should say rather than on what it does say.  So, we are working to settle the case rather than live with the precedential consequences of an adverse ruling.  Please remember to pray every day that our elected and judicial officials will follow the law and uphold the Constitution.  Just like Captain Moroni, we must raise our own personal Title of Liberty and defend our freedom.

Deborah is training to become a facilitator for a group of BYU-Pathway students here in the Europe area. The mission of BYU-Pathway is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their home, the Church, and their communities. Pathway provides access to spiritually based degrees, completely online, at a significantly reduced cost.  The unique structure of BYU-Pathway allows students to earn certificates of accomplishment that build towards an associate and bachelor degree.  Certificates can be completed in one year or less and teach marketable job skills that can improve employment faster.  Pathway is open to all who desire to earn a degree.  Right now, Deborah’s first group has students from Scotland, Spain, Italy and Ukraine.  One of the requirements for BYU-Pathway is to speak English.  All classes are conducted in English.  For most of the students outside of the United States, English is their second language.  Part of Deborah’s job will be helping students improve their communication and leadership skills.  Her role is to help bridge the gap between the desire to earn a degree and the competency to speak, learn and teach others.  Her students will gather each week for an hour.  They will teach each other the lessons on life and study skills.  All communication will be through texting and Zoom, blessings of the world we live in today!  Deborah’s first class will start in January.

These are the things we do Monday through Friday.  Saturday is our preparation day.  Our work day does not make for very interesting photos, so we like to post photos of the fun things we do outside of the office.  Please don’t think that all we do is fun trips.  They are a small part of our time here serving the Lord.

After three years, COVID caught up to both of us this week.  Fortunately, we have mild cases.  We are experiencing headaches, coughs, fevers, chills, and fatigue similar to a moderate head cold.  Geoff came down with his case the day before Thanksgiving so we were unable to join the other missionaries for Thanksgiving Dinner and bowling or go to the Christmas Market in Strasbourg, France.  Deborah got sick two days after Geoff.  We will always remember our first Thanksgiving in Germany for being sheltered in a small apartment with COVID.  At least now we hope we won’t have to deal with this again.  We look forward to spending Christmas in Paris without having to worry about COVID.

The famous German Weihnachtmarkts (Christmas Markets) have begun!  We are enjoying the lights, decorations, and the food.