The Bluths in Downtown Frankfurt

One of Sis Bluth’s assignments here is to help with some interior design work in the Central European Mission Homes. She just retired as a designer for the Special Projects Department. New temples fall under that department. It just happened that there was a huge textile exhibition at the Messe this week, so we gave the Bluths their first public transport lesson, taking them downtown on the train.

As we made our way to the Messe, these are a few of the interesting things we saw:

Creative cobblestones.

The Liebfrauenkirche.

Stolpersteine.

Romerplatz.

Nikolaikirche.

And here we arrived at the Messe, the trade show exhibition halls.

A Zone Conference 2025

Today was a big day. We held our Zone Conference with Elder McConkie and his wife, Laurel. About an hour before the conference began, this letter was sent out to all the missionaries:

EUROPE CENTRAL AREA PRESIDENCY

16 January 2025

Senior Missionaries Europe Central Area Office

Senior Missionary Zone Leadership

We are so impressed with the caliber of the senior missionaries serving in the Europe Central Area Office. You offer essential support to the Area workforce and bring a level of consecration to the work that makes everyone perform better. Thanks for the visible and behind-the-scenes work you do across the departments of the Area Office. Your influence is infectious.

As Elder John and Sister Ann Lewis prepare to depart for home next month, we wish to thank them for their steady service as zone leaders. They have filled this role while continuing to function in their primary mission assignment as Communication Specialists. As an Area Presidency, we have witnessed their love and support for each of you and throughout our Area Office. We extend to them a grateful release as zone leaders.

We are delighted that Elder Perry and Sister Karen Dixon have accepted the invitation to serve as the new zone leaders and look forward to the gifts and talents they bring. Elder Brent and Sister Leslie Hadley and Elder Neil and Sister Cheryl McDermid will continue to serve as assistant zone leaders. Any future changes in zone assignments will be announced by Elder and Sister Dixon.

We know you will give your full support to these new leaders and collectively continue your excellent work on behalf of the Europe Central Area. You are a gifted and powerful group of missionaries, and we are grateful to serve beside you as we help gather Israel. We love you and give thanks for your faith and devotion.

The Europe Central Area Presidency

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This Zone Conference was our last duty aside from training the Dixons to take our places. We had a wonderful meeting. It was my turn to conduct.

The Nelsons and Bromans both did a great job talking about the work in their departments–WSR and FS with some numbers and facts and figures and stories. It was interesting and uplifting to hear what’s happening here.

Then Sis McConkie told us about the experiences they had with the wife of the Leon France Mission Leader who died last month (friends of the McConkies). They traveled that day to Leon to be with her and to help her gather their missionaries to tell them the news. All very touching. Then she talked about our baptismal covenants and how yes, we covenant with God, but just as importantly, we covenant to stand with those in need. She encouraged us to think about that when we do a kindness–to remember that what we do for others is a part of our covenant keeping.

Elder McConkie spoke last. First he thanked us for our ZL service. Then he gave a presentation about the church in Czechia/Slovakia and how the Church got started there–he was in the middle of it all in the 1990s. The Church needed 20,000 signatures with name, a number like our Social Security #, and signatures, in order for the Church to be recognized there. They hired a professional team to collect signatures. In 3 weeks they got something like 185 names. Elder McConkie (a former Mission Leader there) was brought in to take 80 Czech missionaries into Slovakia to gather signatures. (They didn’t speak Slav so well.)

The first day they got 5000. The 2nd day they got 5000. Same the third day, same the 4th day. It was a miracle. The light in their eyes and the Spirit moved people to give their information. The 5th day the Catholic church got wind of it and went on the air and told people NOT to sign any petitions. It was too late. They got the permissions they needed to send missionaries back into the country.

After the meeting we took a group photo, then had a delicious catered lunch. Pork loins in a mushroom sauce, rice, chicken and Spaetzle, broccoli and green salad. Also soup. We had volunteers bring desserts.

Perry and Karen Dixon, our new Zone Leaders

One of the Sisters said to me today, “I didn’t realize how much I was needing to be filled until after yesterday (D&C lesson) and today. Thank you. I really needed this.” It felt wonderful to be in a room full of consecrated faithful good friends. Really, it was wonderful. It will be hard to leave them.

Brent and Kathleen Bluth Arrive — our replacements!

Today we got to meet our replacements, Brent and Kathleen Bluth. They are Wonderful. I’m already sad that we won’t get to work with them for a long time. We have about 6 weeks left before we return home.

This evening we had a wonderful evening together at the Frankfurt Temple, with dinner afterwards at Cafe Klatsch. I can’t bare the thought of leaving this place and these friends.

Missionaries at work

This week I took a walk through the building and took pics of some of our missionaries at their desks. This is where we are most of the time, 5 days a week, long hours. And we love it.

Ann & John Lewis, Jacque and Chris Feinauer

A Family Home Evening with Christian Wolfert

Once each month we have a fun evening with a special guest or program. This evening we heard from Christian Wolfert, one of the Tabernacle Choir global participants in the last General Conference. He told us all about his experience auditioning and being selected to sing with the world famous choir.

Here’s a bit about Christian from the article posted in our newsroom:

European Singers Join Renowned Tabernacle Choir

Sharing goodwill and faith through music

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has won scores of awards, and enthralled audiences around the world. It is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Five Europeans have been selected to sing with the Choir in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The occasion is the Church’s General Conference held 5-6 October 2024.

The participants are Christian Wolfert and Florence C. Meissner-Adamer from Germany, Elise Gauthier from Austria and France, Laura Echarri Hermoso from Spain, and Nicolas Watbled from France.

Due to the Tabernacle Choir’s rigorous practice schedule, Choir members are required to live near Salt Lake City, but in 2023, a new Global Participants Programme began to include singers living outside the United States. Since then, the programme has continued as the Choir has welcomed more global participants during each subsequent General Conference event. This opens the door for others with exceptional musical abilities to also engage on a temporary basis, allowing the Choir to be represented by individuals from all over the world.

When Christian Wolfert, originally from Stadthagen, now of Frankfurt, Germany, was seven years old, he was humming in a class at church and his teacher said, “who is humming wrongly in the back?” This was because he was already singing an octave lower than the other kids. That did not deter Wolfert, who continued to sing in school and church choirs. He said, “I am grateful for the many people that fostered my development as a singer; apparently I had a loud voice but needed some fine tuning for hitting the right notes.” As a young adult Wolfert helped create a choir of his peers that toured Europe comprised of singers from Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark singing a religious repertoire. He shared that “feeling the Spirit means connecting with the divine and feeling God’s love and singing helps me do that. I hope everyone feels that God loves them when listening.”

Those who were invited to audition for the choir were required to send in a recording, have an on-line interview and a technical audition. The last requirement was a 15-minute live online audition with the Assistant conductor of the Tabernacle Choir, Ryan Murphy, and Cherilyn Worthen, Director of the Choir School for the Tabernacle Choir. “These were quite possibly some of the most excruciating 15 minutes of my life!” explained Wolfert.

The Global Participants traveled to Salt Lake City two weeks ago to begin practicing with the Choir. In addition to their participation, each participant receives a calling to be an ambassador for the Church and share their goodwill and faith through music. The global participants speak different languages and have different life circumstances, but they share a passion for music and a desire to share it with others.