Friday, June 26, 2026

The Mission Weekly

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Hi kids (11/9/2025)













I think I’ll just try to send everyone a Sunday night email so that you’ll know what we’re up to. As you know, you can contact us whenever you have time.  But I’m sure it’s hard because you don’t know when we have time and we don’t know when you have time!
So at least with an email you have a general idea what we’re up to
We have now been in Italy for one week. Our heads are swimming.  We haven’t really gotten into the work because we’ve been busy trying to secure an apartment.
There have been some issues. Hopefully they will be ironed out in the next couple of weeks. We shall see.
We did go to church today and attended both wards here in Como. The first ward we attended, they were having the primary children’s program. There were only eight kids, but my goodness those kids sang so loud the roof was rising! So stinking cute.  They had on matching bowties and the girls had matching hair bands. One little girl right in front was practically dancing while she sang.
We are leaving our Airbnb and flying to Frankfurt tomorrow. We will be there for one week to have training. The fun part is that the Bluth’s are picking us up from the airport and spending the day with us before we start our training!  We are pretty excited about that.
We feel pretty lucky to be here in Como. Even though it’s November, there are still plenty of tourists. We have found a good gelatoria, and the fabulous Italian hot chocolate, and a great sandwich shop.  We also went to the market and I found some very affordable cute Italian clothes!
I don’t want to make this too long or you won’t want to read it. I’ll send one picture. (I will post more here)
We love you guys! We think about you and hope everyone is safe and happy
Love you,
Mom and dad

Hi you guys, (11/19/2025)















I had the intention of writing you all a short email each Sunday with one photo just to keep you up to date with what your parent are doing.  Failed on the very first week.  Hmmm.  So now the new goal is to do it when I have time!
This past week we were in training in Frankfurt.  Some classes were super boring and a waste of time, but others were very good and much needed, but of course those classes were rushed through.  Still, we feel like we are better informed and better prepared.  Sort of.  It was fun to have Brent and Kathleen Bluth pick us up at the airport and we hung out with them for a full day, and they treated us to a fabulous evening/dinner at a German restaurant.  Good people, those Bluths.  After training we were set loose and so we rented a car and spent one night in Bonn...and then two nights in Brussels.  Ah, it was good to be back.  We drove back to Frankfurt on Sunday and caught our flight back to Milan and stayed in a hotel near the mission office.  
The next day when we woke up there was still no response from my airbnb host in Como so I thought we had been scammed.  I was online with the helpdesk when the host finally sent me check-in details.  Whew!  We drove up to Como, unloaded our heavy suitcases (again!) and went to a 3pm meeting with the real estate people to see about our apartment. We walked out of that meeting with keys to our apartment!!!  Hooray!
This was Monday and today is Wednesday.  I just got an email that our electric will be done in 5 working days, and the gas in 10 working days.  I hope it is faster because we need it ON when Natalie comes for a few days visit!
Yep, our first guest will be Natalie on Nov 30 to Dec 3.  We are excited to have her come!  We are headed to IKEA tomorrow to get some supplies for the apartment.  We need to be prepared b/c we are in Rome all next week and don't get back to Milan until Nov 29th.  Natalie, we might be 'camping' a bit, especially if the gas isn't turned on yet!  We have our fingers crossed.
As far as mission work goes.  Attended the delivery of supplies to a prison today.  Friday we tour a home for refugee mothers/children where the church is installing a garden area for them.  That is in Milan.  More training in Rome the last week of November.  This time the training is focused on self-reliance and welfare services.  Frankfurt was all humanitarian training.  The downside of the work is all the paperwork! 
More than one photo b/c I can't resist!
Love you all!  Hope all is well.  Call on my phone any time.  I have international calling!
Love,
Mom and Dad
PS.  Yes, it was raining in Brussels.  Felt good!

Hi everyone,  (11/29/2025)










We hope you all had a lovely thanksgiving week-end and celebration with friends/family.  Whether you ate a Turkey dinner or maybe a meal over a campfire, or like us, a pasta dinner with about 20 people, I hope it was great.  And that you had a moment to reflect and be grateful!

We just finished a week of training in Rome.  It was a useful week.  Problem is now they will expect results and work out of us! (included one photo of the meeting room.  We sat around those tables for HOURS.  Hardly a break.  It was a bit tortuous) Had a few interesting connections:  One lady was a friend of Jeff and Roz Hawk and their family.  Have to admit when we talked about Roz we both got teary eyed.  Roz was so loved and she is still missed.(she died of breast cancer at age 45 or so) Another connection was a lady named Beth Lamb.  When we went around the room to introduce ourselves, I said we had lived in Belgium, and Beth yells out, "I have slept at your house!"  Only Steve and Nicole will remember her....also Natalie.  She stayed at our house b/c she was visiting her friend Heather Powers and who knows why they stayed at our house!  She did take photos of me and Nicole and Natalie in our backyard.  We didn't like any of her photos however:).    (PS  Heather is married to a Parisian, and they are moving to California.  More updates on Heather if interested).  But the most fun connection was running into Dave and Mandy Simmons at the temple!  Pure coincidence.  Dave is posted in Rome and they have been there about a year.  (photo included)

It is fun to get to know the other Senior Couples serving in our field. (photo at an Italian restaurant with the Italian self reliance group.  Fun to eat out with them b/c they know all the fun foods!)...now officially called Welfare and Self-reliance.  The welfare is the humanitarian part, and the self reliance focuses on helping the massive number of refugees that have joined the church and now need to become educated on how to manage living here in Italy.  Well, that also includes some Italians of course.  (meaning they need coaching on a myriad of ways to upgrade their lives)..

We really like our 'boss' Davide Lotitto.  The boss over self-reliance and he is Italian.  We really like our bosses in Frankfurt, Debra and Ed Lamb (welfare), but they go home first part of January.  Too bad b/c they are really great to work with.  

Tomorrow is Sunday and Natalie arrives for a couple of days!  Thus the email tonight.  We are excited to have her here.  We are still in an airbnb for 2 more nights b/c our gas in the apartment STILL hasn't been turned on so there is no heat or hot water, AND we don't have internet yet.  Still kind of camping out!  But Como is all decked out for Christmas so it will be a fun time for Natalie to be here.  

PS.  In-laws, I should have included you sooner....however, if you would rather not receive these updates, please let me know!

Love to all,
Mom and Dad

Hi Family, (12/8/2025)










Bryn and Isa wanted to be added to the weekly letter.  Let me know if anybody else wants to be added, will you?

For this week, the BIG fun was having Natalie for a few days!  So fun to have her!  She spent the very first night with us in our apartment.  In fact, the night before we were all in an airbnb!  She was also there for the turning on of the gas:  We have heat and hot water, hurrah! We loved having her company and her spirit with us.  
The day after Natalie left, we had a zone conference in Milan.  It was actually 2 zones together, thus the large number of missionaries.  We made some good progress with the counselor in the mission presidency, as part of what we need to accomplish, will involve the help of the other Senior missionaries. 
On our P-Day we took the funicular near our house.  Stupendous views and we had a nice lunch at the top of the mountain.  
On our morning walk I took a photo of fishermen on the lake.  It's very peaceful if you get out in the morning early.  If you wait too long, the sidewalks get super crowded, so we go early.
We love you!  We hope everyone is doing well.  
Oh, and today we took the missionaries that serve here in Como to Rosso Pommodoro for pizza.  They are a great group and we love being with them.
Love, Love,
Mom and Dad
Grammie and Pop

Hi family, (12/21/2025)

Truly excited to talk/chat/see as many of you as can join in today/tonight for our Christmas Call.  Thanks Lara and Dan for setting it up.  

I'll start with the work we did the past week or so:  we had great meetings with several NGOs in Milan, specifically Terre des hommes, ARCA, and LaRotonda.   Each organization has a specific way in which they help:  refugees at the borders, refugees already in the country, refugees in a specific neighborhood.  They help with housing, food, job placement, language, etc.  We like them all!  Our budget is limited b/c most funds are now funneled to the East:  Ukraine, Bosnia, Moldovia, etc.  We really have to be discriminating.  It is tough.  

We also have been asked to inspect missionary apartments.  Fun, but also a pain.  The apartments are far away and we drive on skinny, skinny roads to get there.  Then there is no parking.  But meeting with the missionaries is fun, so there is that reward.  We bring them supplies that they can't easily get, like lightbulbs!  We actually went to a BRICO in Italy to find a specific lightbulb.  BRICO is in Italy!  Didn't know that.

We got our monthly allergy shot yesterday.  The nurse comes to our house.  Cost?  40 euros total.  Love affordable in-home medical care!  

Fun stuff we did? (that is what all the pictures are of, the fun stuff!)  Spent a lot of time in Milan b/c of our meetings.  We got to know the city well, and we really like it.  We went inside the Duomo and we were blown away by the stained-glass windows.  There is an eating area by the canals, we ate in the Galleria, went into Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggi and LOVED the artwork.  We went to a Christmas concert in the San Fedele church (special invitation from ARCA).  At this concert, the entrance fee was a blanket for those in need.  I took a photo of those donating.  It was a heartwarming experience.  Lastly, in a square near the castle, there was a street musician that was truly fabulous.  Dad gave him a 2-thumbs up.  Most street performers are just ok.  This guy rocked it!  (attached video) The city was all decked out for Christmas.  

Oh, and we took the train to Lugano.  It looks like Dad/Pop is overlooking the lake in Como, but that is Lugano!  

Next couple of weeks will be VERY quiet!  Fine by us!
We spent Christmas on the French Riviera.  AND that photo of the seagull?  He swooped down and grabbed the sandwich right out of my hand.  He was fast!
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Love to all!
Mom and Dad

 (1/4/2026)








This week we visited Sondrio to inspect a missionary apartment.  It was a 2 hour drive one way!  So we opted to stay overnight and do a bit of hiking.  We found snow!  And moss! And a darling village, San Martino, tucked away in the alps of Italy.  I don't know if the video will make it onto this email, I hope it does, but it shows us driving a small, windy, narrow road, nonetheless it is for 2 way traffic and we came head onto a large truck!  Quite exciting. 
We were invited by our neighbor across the hallway to watch the fireworks over the Lake from her apartment on New Year's Eve.  Very kind of her.  She is also the neighbor who is letting us pirate her internet (still!)
Happy birthday to Daphne today (Jan 4) who is now 24.  And to Luke (Dec 31) who is now 15!
​IMG_1353.MOV​ Hope all of you are well and ready for 2026 and all the adventures and ups/downs that a new year will bring!  Thanks for sending your high/low 2025, and if you haven't done it yet, there is still time!
Love, Mom and Dad

(1/11/2026) 



















 This will be a short report!  It's been a quiet, slow, peaceful week because Europe is still on holiday mode.  If you remember Jan 6 is also a national holiday being Three Kings Day.  You already know we decided to take this time to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary in Venice.  I never thought our anniversary fell on a great date, but because it was right after the holidays, it fell on 'low/off season' so the hotel was very affordable indeed.  We felt lucky for the blue sky!  We loved the concert we attended:  Vivaldi and the 4 Seasons Concert.  Vivaldi is my favorite Baroque composer:  born in 1678 in Venice.  The performing violinists; well, their performance left us speechless.  We enjoyed our celebration so much, we just might do a full repeat for our 50th!  Oh, and the San Marco Cathedral has more mosaics than we have ever seen.  Literally the entire ceiling is covered!

The only mission responsibilities this week was a meeting with the YSA (GANS) President.  We are not only humanitarian missionaries, but also self-reliance missionaries (as you know), so we were gathering information about a self-reliance program that the singe adults were initiating and where we fit in.

Oh, just one funny episode:  Our car is basically retrieved in vending machine style.  And so far, it has been broken 3 times, thus we go to get our car out of the garage, but alas the car elevator is broken again.  Luckily, public transportation is great.  This morning before church:  broken.  So, we took the bus.  Nice!

Monday mornings have not been typically good.  There is a meeting every.single.monday morning that is NOT useful!  But tomorrow it will be a GREAT day because we are excited to receive our next guest:  Melanie Herway!!!

We love you guys.  We really do.  We think about you, and pray for you, and basically know that you guys are part of who we are and why we 'tick' the way we do.  We feel lucky that we are part of 'The AMAZING Crew'.

Love, 
Mom and Dad

Dear all, (1/18/2026)














Our highlight this week was a surprise visit from Mel Herway!  We had so much fun with her!  I'll put in a few photos, but know that that girl is easy to talk to, easy to entertain, easy to please, flexible, grateful, and wise!  There you have it.  Thanks for coming Mel!
We had tickets to see Da Vinci's Last Supper but our internet was supposed to be installed on the same day so we gave our tickets to the Sister Missionaries.  However, they moved our internet appointment! (of course, we still don't have internet) We asked the girls if they minded if we went ahead and used the tickets.  They were very gracious.  They even said they had some fun P-day activities they were going to have to miss, so now they could join in with the other missionaries.  
OK.  This will come as a surprise.  I am willing to eat at McDonald's.  You can ask why?  Because they have some great locations!  The one in Milan overlooking the Cathedral, and the other one is in Lugano overlooking the lake.  
Oh, the photo of Tom and I in front of our apartment was taken by Mel.  The photo of 'SETH' on the pole?  That was taken in Milan.  Wonder what that stands for....or is SETH just famous?  And the photo of us with an older missionary couple and the two younger missionaries was at the office.  We had to go there to pick up a new phone.  While there we became more acquainted with the office couple.  They are 80 and 82 respectively!  Can you believe that!  We thought we were the oldest couple in the mission, but they beat us!  We were blown away by this couple.  Their oldest daughter has 15 children:  3 natural and 12 adopted children, all with special needs!  The other photo was taken while on my morning walk, the domed building with trees around it.  Just thought it was a cool photo.
Dad and I are doing well.  Staying healthy.  Staying active and busy.  Trying to do some good.  Sometimes we get frustrated with paperwork, or how things might be organized or not organized.  We enjoy our ward but also enjoy visiting the other wards (Lugano).  We like our apartment and our neighbor who lives below us and the one across the hall.  
Love you ALL!!!
Mom and Dad

Caro Tutti, (1/22/2026)










Sunday nights seem to roll around pretty quickly!  


1)Photo 1:   We are with Mirea.  She is the secretary at the rental agency where our apartment was listed.  She worked miracles.  Every time we thought it would be impossible to get the apartment, she would come up with a way to make it work.  Whether it was banking, or taxes, or utilities, or getting the lease into our name but allowing the church to make the payments, etc.  Seemed like we hit all kinds of walls, but she managed to get around all the issues and made it happen.  We took her to lunch to thank her. 
2)Photo 2:  Can you see 'HERWAY' on the buzzer?  We are official!  You can now ring the buzzer and we can buzz you in!

3)The next 3 photos.  This outing was recommended by the missionaries.  On P-day we did it.  We went to Varese by train.  Took a bus to Sacro Monti di Varese where you start a 2-km hike along a sacred trail where you pass by 14 small chapels.  Inside each chapel are life size statues depicting scenes from the life of Christ.  At the top is the big ornate Chapel.  The whole mountain and experience are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Really fun and something we didn't even know existed!

4)The photo of the guy kneeling in our apartment.  WE HAVE INTERNET!!!  Three times a technician came.  A seemingly infinite number of changed appointments.  I was wondering if it would ever happen, and it DID! We took our neighbor Jarlath out for dinner to thank her for letting us pirate her internet.  She was so very kind!
We had a nice exchange of thoughts with the technician as he was leaving.  He asked why we were in Como and we told him we were doing humanitarian work for our church.  He is a Jehovah Witness and we both exchanged our sentiments of our love for Jesus Christ.  It was very nice.  

5)The last 2 photos are with the missionaries we visited to inspect their apartments in Lecco and Merate.    Great kids.  They are doing a very hard job but they stay positive. 

Just b/c this email is an update:  We did go to church in Lugano last week.  Great ward there.  This week we had an assignment to introduce ourselves to the Young Adults in Milan.  Oh, and I did pray in Italian.  I think it was 4 sentences long.  Took every ounce of my courage to do just that simple task.  Seriously. 

Lastly, if you a still reading.  Looks like we might have a bit of an adventure ahead.  We have been asked to go to Istanbul Turkey for a portion of our mission.  The leaders of Turkey will not authorize the Church to send in missionaries with long term visas, so everyone has to go in on a normal 'tourist' visa.  Which we all know is 3 months max.  The mission Pres, all the young missionaries, and all Senior missionaries can only be in Turkey for 3 months at a time.  Thus, their request for us to 'take a turn' to help out in Istanbul for 3 months at a time.  OK.  We will take our first time after Steve leaves in April.  We will go to Istanbul mid-April and return in time for Seth's visit in the summer.  If it continues, we will go back again mid-Oct.  There are two Humanitarian Senior missionary couples in Italy, and while one couple is in Turkey, the other couple will cover their humanitarian work. That means when we are in Como, we will do all humanitarian work for all of Italy.   We are happy to do our part.  We'll see how it goes.  
We love you ALL!  Please know that!  We are far from perfect in showing and extending our love, but we do!!
Have a great week!
Love,
Mom and Dad

(2/2/2026)


This is Jarlath, our American neighbor.  She took me to an international women't coffee.  She let us use her internet,  She is 80 from NYC and came to Como to live on her own!  












The first photo is at the end of our street.  The road literally ends here!  How would you like to live on that house on the cliff?  I would love it!
This week we took the missionaries to lunch as a farewell to Anziano Johnson (dark hair, center of the photo)  He will be missed.  Always happy, great sense of humor.  All the others stayed for another transfer in Como.
Our mission encourages us to attend the temple once per transfer, even if it is outside our mission boundaries.  Rome temple is the easiest for us because we can travel by train.  It takes much more money and time (if going by train) to get to the Swiss temple, ironically.  We were able to get to Rome this week.  I took photos of the Tiber which flooded both pedestrian trails.  Italy has had a lot of rain and this is the first time I have ever seen the Tiber that high!  One morning I took an early walk and went over to St. Peters and the line to get in was very small so I went inside.  I do love the Pieta.  The photo of the single villa?  That is a restaurant in Rome that overlooks the Colosseum.  We ate outside on the terrace and soaked it all in.  
The photo of the couples dancing?  That was taken in the square in Vicenza!  We went there so that Tom could get his CAT card updated (they had to have his fingerprint!) at the base.  Those couples could really dance.  It looked so fun.  

We hope that everyone is doing well.  We love hearing your updates and thanks for keeping us in your loop!  I will be in UT next week and have set up times to see some of you.  Look forward to it!
Love,
Mom and Dad



Hi Family! (2/22/2026)


The Bronze Olympic women't hockey game.  Sweden vs Switzerland (Swiss won)




I did get my eye shot, but learned that I had waited a bit too long.  My 'max' is 14 weeks between shots.  Next time I need a shot I will be in Istanbul.  I'm hoping to find a doctor there.  We will see what I come up with.  Not having the local insurance the cost is 1,000euros plus 200euro for the initial visit.  The flight was 1,000euros.  It seemed like a no-brainer.  But that flight to the US is way too long!  I did enjoy seeing family though, just wish I could have seen everyone.  And of course I forgot to take a photo with Seth's family, dang it!

The week I returned was very quiet and slow thankfully.  The only real excitement to report was that I was able to attend the bronze winter Olympic hockey game between Sweden and Switzerland.  I couldn't resist texting Mats during the game.  It was super close, but sadly Sweden did not win.  Dad didn't buy a ticket to go with me, so he walked around cold Milan city center....and I think that is when he got sick.  He is fighting a serious cough and fever.  We have a doctor coming to the house tomorrow to check on him.

I am copying a really good answer to the following question that a grandson asked his grandfather:  "What is the secret to loving the same woman (or man) for a lifetime."

mikejjeffery
He didn’t think long.
He just smiled.
Then he gave me a few simple rules.

1. Never stop choosing her.(him)

He said:
“Love isn’t what you feel on the wedding day.”

That feeling comes and goes.
Life gets busy.
Stress shows up.
Some days are heavy.

Real love is waking up and deciding:
She’s (he) still my person.

Even on the hard days.
Especially on the hard days.

2. Make her(him) feel safe.

Not just physically.
Emotionally.

He told me:
“She (he)should never wonder if you’re on her (his)side.”

No public criticism.
No jokes at her(his) expense.
No talking about her(his) weaknesses to others.

The world is already hard enough.
Home should feel like peace.

3. Don’t let the small things disappear.

A hand on her back.
A kiss before leaving.
Sitting close instead of across the room.

He said:
“Distance doesn’t start with miles.
It starts when you stop reaching.”

Connection lives in small moments.

4. Grow with her (him), not away from her (him).

People change.
Life changes.

He said:
“If you don’t keep learning each other, you’ll become strangers in the same house.”

Ask questions.
Listen.
Stay curious about her (him).

After he told me all this, he got quiet.
Then he said something I’ll never forget.

“The man (or woman) who waits to feel love won’t last.”

“The man (or woman) who decides to give love — every day — will have it for a lifetime.”

They weren’t perfect.

They argued.
They struggled.
Life tested them.

But every day…
they chose each other.

Not luck.
Not a different generation.

A decision.

Every day.
For a lifetime.

I love this answer, and I will add; it does take both of you.  Love to all of you!
Mom


First of all, Happy Birthday to Zane today.  22!!!  22 years old this very day! (3/8/2026)










Hi Family.  It's been two weeks because last week was spent getting Dad better.  His awful cough is gone because he rested and ate well and stayed home!  I got out with our neighbor Jarlath and we went to a women's international coffee.  Jarlath is from NYC, left NY at age 77 and moved to Italy.  She is now 80.  She is a really kind, great woman.  We also spoil the missionaries here and we took them to lunch since two of them are being transferred this week.

We met with Renato and Elena Narduzzi in Torino.  They are Employment Specialists for Northern Italy.  Elena worked professionally as a payroll accountant.  She knows all the 'ins and outs' about how to work the employment game here and we are lucky to have her.  They have placed 7 people with jobs this past year!  We have a lot to learn from her.

We have a project in Torino and the company is called ColorVivi.  How to describe them?  Incredible.  Barbara is the CEO and she saw refugee women and children in horrible situations with no way to provide for themselves.  Viola.  ColorVivi was born.   It is a company that works with Gucci and Oscalito to provide exquisite, high-end, detailed and highly professional work.  Once these ladies pass their training with Color Vivi they are highly employable b/c they are so well trained as tailors.  Barbara trains only refugees and they come from Pakistan, Palestine, Nigeria, Cameroon, India, Ukraine, Ivory Coast, etc.  The Church supports Barbara because of the incredible work she does with the refugee women and their families.

We had time to tour the palace that belonged to the Savoy Dukes.    It is beautifully restored and gives Versailles competition!  It was actually jaw-dropping.


We had some time before catching our train back to Como so we enjoyed the city.  Torino is a fabulous city!  Many piazzas, and outdoor restaurants, cool pedestrian streets, high end shopping, and on Saturday the whole city was out enjoying the beautiful sunshine!  I love how families are hanging out together, and it seemed phones were 'mostly' put away.  

That's it for this update.  We are off to Milan for a full week of work next week.

HEY!  Tommy Herway is currently WAITING FOR HIS MISSION CALL!!!!  Probably this week.....

Love to all,
Mom and Dad

Hi Family, (3/15/2026)












Zoom chat waiting for Tommy to open his mission call






I tried to write to you last Sunday, but for some reason it would not send.  I'll try again this week.  If it doesn't work I'll have to come up with another plan to stay in touch with everyone!

A recap for the last 3 weeks.  Most of our projects are in Milan so we spend a lot of time there.  Good thing that Como has great train service to that city!  We are in process of helping the following companies:   1.Color Vivi whose CEO is Barbara Spezini (first photo, lady in the center) and in 2020 she decided to help women with children get off the streets (refugees from Palestine, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ukraine, etc) and trains them in tailoring so they could become self-sufficient.  She has been ultra successful and has trained women who have been hired by high-end stores because of their tailoring skills learned at Color Vivi.  This company is in Torino.  Lovely city! (photo of a piazza in Torino)
2. La Rotonda.  A company in the middle of an ultra-poor section of the city.  They have a place where everyone is welcome to come for help with employment, skill development, language, and food purchased with points (no money) after-school care, etc.  
3.  The Municipality of Milan.  They have a welcome center where literally all foreigners come to get direction on their next step for living in Italy.  There is housing provided as well as one-on-one supervision to become integrated.  The photo of us is with Flavia.   We knew her in Rome when she worked with the Red Cross and it was such a fun reunion with her.  She is now working in Milan for the Municipality.  We crossed paths again!  What are the odds of that?
4.  Ronald McDonald House.  Attached to the largest hospital in N. Milan.  They need help providing more space for those who need that service.  As of yet, we don't have a project with them but we visited their site to see exactly what is needed.
5.  Terre des Hommes.  They meet people just as they arrive into Italy at the borders to meet immediate needs.   Everything that goes into that small statement is almost over-whelming.  They do an amazing job.

Probably more detail than you want, but it helps you to possibly see the scope of what we are working on.  We hosted the Healys for a full week.  Over the week-end we took them to Tirano to take the Bernina Express train from Tirano to St. Moritz.  We just got back.  It is a UNESCO site b/c the train tracks climb and loop and cross 200+ bridges and through 50+ tunnels.  It's an amazing feat of engineering to say the least.  We didn't have perfect weather but good enough.  

As with all aspects of life, there are some amazing and really rewarding experiences, and then there are the soul stretching and humbling experiences.  As we all do, all of us are working with people, just people.  There are mistakes, there are set-backs, but if you are patient, it all works out.  We do our best, and then leave it at the feet of Jesus Christ and God to direct us where we can do better.  All of it is a learning curve to explain it on it's most basic level!

Any day, any day....Tommy Herway will receive his mission call.  Pretty darn exciting!!!

We love you.  We think of you.  We pray for you.  We are proud of you!

Love, Mom and Dad


Hi Family, (4/12/2026)























Our focus has been on Steve and his boys and it has been so much fun!


Now we have just a few days left.  The mission now changes focus as we head off for Turkey on Friday.
We said 'good-bye' to our friends at church and we look forward to coming back to them!  We also put our humanitarian projects on hold until Summer.  

We hope all of you had a glorious Easter Celebration with all of your loved ones!
Love to all,
Mom and Dad


Merhaba (Hi) family,  (The only Turkish word I know!)  (4/24/2026)





















We have been in Istanbul for a week now.  High learning curve!  We are being put to work for sure.  I put in a photo of me with another lady:  Meisa from Iran.  She is the 1st counselor in Primary and has been a member for a month.  Dad is now 1st counselor in the Branch Pres for the Turkish/Persian branch and 1st counselor in the EQ in the English branch. (The EQ Pres. is a returned missionary and has been home just 2 months, Mahmet)  I just got called as Primary/YW President in the T/P branch and I play the piano for both branches.  Yeah, it is crazy.  Last Sunday we were at the chapel for 7 hours!  We can't keep that up!
The 'worst' is all the meetings you are supposed to go to.  Not on my list of favorite things to do. Oh, we also have been asked to help with a YSA conference next week-end.   If you want to feel like you are truly helping out, then this is the place to serve.
Everywhere there are mosques.  Seems like on every corner.  I have a photo of the inner courtyard of a mosque and also a photo of the inside of a nearby mosque.  They all seem to be designed the same, so for real, once you see one, you have seen them all.  We hear the call to prayers throughout the day.  
I included a photo of where we live.  The grey apartment complex in the middle of two other apartment complexes.  I have a hard time finding a 'green' place to walk.  Yesterday was a holiday here.  The Grand National Assembly was founded on April 23, 1920. (Turkey's govt from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire) It is also celebrated as 'Childrens Day'.  Flags were literally flying from most apartments, business and commercial buildings.  It was quite festive.  No school, banks closed, etc.
Today we took a P-day and went downtown.  Glorious weather.  Fun rooftop restaurant.  Super fun views.  Walked through the spice market and metro home.  Great metro system here.
I'm sure some of you remember Istanbul.  It is fun to 'live' here, even if only for a short time.  We are already part of the fabric because of the church.  They have been incredibly welcoming and inclusive.  We do have our work cut out for us.  All we can do is try to be helpful and be grateful for google translate!

Stay healthy, stay busy and happy, and keep the big-picture!
Love,
Mom and Dad

Hi family, (5/3/2026)







Going to send two emails b/c one email won't take 8 photos.  These few photos capture our experience as 'leaders' for the YSA conference this past week-end.  
To start off, we drove 1 and ½ hour by taxi to the venue with this couple:  Hitchins.  The wife, Aysa, is Turkish, and the husband Ross is Canadian.  They can stay in Turkey b/c they are 'locals' and they are the anchor here.  Full of information and we really hit it off.  They took us to lunch, and treated us!  Fun to let them order and eat REAL Turkish cuisine.   
We had two main assignments:  the service project which was simply making/painting/creating cards and then organizing this card with some candy in a gift bag for all the hotel workers.  It was international workers day so it was a perfect gift. 
The second assignment was a devotional.  We had a 'faith walk' where each wrote down their biggest 'problem' on a paper with invisible ink.  They viewed these in our hotel room which was pitch black and they could read these problems with a UV light on their pen.  Next, they could listen to music and read about Christ and His Power to help them.  Then they wrote down what Christ would say to them.  In the photo they are walking by all the words that everyone wrote about what Christ said to them.  It was very powerful and it hit home that whatever our problems are, Christ is there for them.
The photo of the group is where Mahmet, a Turkish man who returned from his mission 2 months ago from London, was telling them about missions.  Mahmet is the EQ president and Tom is his counselor.  
We enjoyed our time with the YSA but I am glad we are humanitarian, well now MLS missionaries.  YSA is a lot of work!  But we loved getting to know them.  Just so you know, there are 850 members in Turkey. (and probably only ½ are active!)   And there are 850,000 inhabitants.  These YSA are quite the minority!

Drove home this morning so we could be at church today so we could be there for our responsibilities. I was asked to teach SS for the English branch.  It was fun because there was lots of participation.

Love you all,
Mom and Dad


Hi family,  (5/13/2026)












I have time to write to you today because I am recovering from a bout with a stomach virus and am laying low.  
As I mentioned earlier, we had the task of locating a long-term apartment for the Senior Couples.  While we were out and about, I had fun taking random photos of the street scenes.  I hope you enjoy.  Just to report on the apartment situation, we did locate an apartment that will work.  It is on the expensive side, and it is NOT anything special, except it is clean and in a good location.  The housing market here in Istanbul is amazingly expensive.  I don't know how the local inhabitant is able to make ends meet.  We will pick up the keys tomorrow from the landlord and we have the week-end to move in.  The timing was luckily good because we leave on Monday to go to Rome for a conference and then to Como for my eye shot.  Yea, I'm going to try out the Italian eye doctor.  I admit I am scared.  Plain and simple.
I hope you had a nice Mother's Day and all the Mother's feel loved and appreciated.  For the record, I had an amazing Mom and so did Tom.  We were very blessed and we know it and are very grateful to both Audrey and Edna.  Good to the core women.  Thank you for all your calls and texts.  Meant the world to me!  Truly!
We love you all; we are there for you. Let us know if we can help.  
Love,
Mom and Dad


Hi Family,  (May 27, 2026)






It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote.  I am writing today because we are home-bound!  It is 90 degrees F in Como today (May 27) But only for this week, it will cool off next week.  It has been a good exercise for us to see if we can keep our apartment cool.  Seth and family, you will be glad to hear that it is possible!  We have THREE A/C units and a ton of fans and we are staying cool.  It is not perfect, but it is livable and doable.  However, it is way too hot to go outside, except in the early morning before 9am!  Dan told me about El Nino 2026.  Great.  Not excited for that.  

We are in Italy because I opted to use an eye Doctor here instead of flying all the way to Utah.  I was very apprehensive.  I had 'interviewed' the Doctor in March and he told me they use numbing drops but not a numbing shot.  So, was it going to hurt?  Probably.  He used all the same tests and machinery that the Utah Doctor did, and he spoke English as did most of his staff.  So, I felt it was worth a try.   The unexpected turn of events was when the Doctor said there was no swelling or fluid and that I didn't need the shot that day.  Come back in 8 weeks.  What??  Last time I was in Utah I had gone 15 weeks and I was told that I had gone about a week overdue and that the swelling/fluid was too much:  be sure to get the next shot in 14 weeks.  Ok.  Monday was already pushing it because it was 15 weeks again.....but no shot needed???  Wait another 8 weeks?  That will make it a total of 23 weeks.  Gulp.  Good news?  I think so.  It should be.  I did call the Utah Doctor and he seemed fine with the diagnoses.  Right now, I have an appointment with both Doctors the end of July....but I think I will return to Utah to see my original Doctor in July just.to.be.sure.  Well, that is the saga of my eye.  For now, I'm just glad I didn't have to get a shot!

I posted a few photos.  The 'family dinner'....That is the Turkish Branch Pres Cakir and his wife, Susan.  They invited us for lunch.  How nice!  The young girl was also a guest.  They put on a huge spread.  The only downside was their house was an hour away by taxi. They live on the Asian side.   Cost us $140RT.  Yikes, expensive lunch!  Next time we get invited to somebody's house, we need to make sure we can get there by metro!  They get to church by public transport but it is complicated so they didn't think we should try it.

Russ and Eileen Healy decided to come and visit us in Istanbul.  They flew in from Frankfurt and stayed in a hotel near our Airbnb.  The hotel was deluxe and if you want to come and stay in our apartment, we are happy to get that hotel!  Eileen had me over twice to go to the hotels' Turkish 'spa'.  We took a photo in front of an aqueduct that is downtown and obviously in stupendous shape!

Last week we did go to Rome for a conference.  Well technically, an appreciation event.  It was very successful in our opinion.  Over 100 people in attendance and mostly our NGO's.  We saw so many of the NGO's we worked with back in 2017-2018 and it was so fun!  One NGO (Flavia from the Municipality of Milan) said to me, "Your church pays for our projects and you are thanking US?"  "Yes!  We can't do it without you!  You do all the work!!!"  I had a small part in the program where I introduced the contents of their gift bags:  herbal tea from one of our NGO's, a framed photo of the 'loaves and fishes' (representing that what we have to give seems so small for the task at hand but God will multiply and increase our efforts to over-flowing) and a booklet about the humanitarian work in which the Church collaborates with the NGO's in Italy.  All 'wrapped up' in a cool bag.  Sadly, I didn't even take one solitary photo of the event.  I guess I was having too much fun talking to everyone.  It was held on the Rome temple grounds, so the event itself was in the Chapel and the hors d'oeuvres afterwards was held at the Visitor Center.  

I know there are LOTS of memories in the making going on with all of you!  Exciting times.  Good days and bad days. We fly back to Istanbul on Friday.  I guess I will be in Turkey for my 70th.  I can't believe I just typed that HUGE number, 70!  Wow, time is so elusive!

Love to all,
Mom and Dad 



June 6, 2026
70th Birthday Celebration










It was a perfect day.  Who would have ever thought turning 70 could be so much fun and so great?
The highlight was getting all of your messages.  Not kidding.  At. All.  A huge thanks to Tom for making it all happen!!

The other great celebration was the balloon ride!  Afterwards the hotel with a perfect breakfast.  Then the pool and the hamam.  On our tour that day my favorite was the Uchisar Castle and we found a great swing to sip fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.  For dinner that night we had a great Turkish spread that was delicious!  

So don't be 'afraid' of turning 70.  It can actually be awesome!!
Thanks for being a part of the best birthday ever!

Love,
Mom


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