Mark and Karen Spear's Mission Blog

April 7, 2019 - Senior Missionary Couples serving in the Potsdam Zone in the North Country of New York. Best days of our lives...

March 31, 2019 - Maple Syrup is very sweet, but we've got something even better happening in Massena...

March 24, 2019 - Sister White gave us the 5 star, big thumbs up for stopping at the Mapleview Family Restaurant in Mexico, New York on the way to Utica for transfers...

March 10, 2019 - We had District Conference this last Saturday & Sunday. President Vest (our Mission President) shared a story: A man went to visit a community that had been replicated to look just like an early colonial village with homes, costumes and businesses that were made to be similar....

March 10, 2019 - What funner thing can you do than make cookies with your grandkids. Win-Win-Win!!! Happy Grammy, Happy Grandkids and Happy Missionaries who get to eat the cookies!

March 3, 2019 - The Massena Branch escaped the doldrums of winter and enjoyed a Winter Luau this last week...complete with palm trees, a volcano, grass, the sun and the sea!

February 24, 2019 - When Jesus invited the men who would become His Apostles: Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, they straightway left their nets, forsook all, and followed him. We are enjoying our "fishing trip" in the North Country of New York.

February 17, 2019 - Like Brigham Young & Heber C Kimball, the missionaries in the New York Utica Mission continue to show through their obedience and hard work that they too are willing to make any sacrifice asked of them to build the kingdom of God.

February 10, 2019 - Ice palaces in Saranac Lake, New York. The completed mighty fortress is always decked out with colorful flags and may contain ice furniture and sculptures along with tunnels and mazes.

February 3, 2019 - Come, Follow Us in the snow. Who says all this snow can't be fun? If you can't make it go away, you might as well enjoy it! Sister Spear enjoying a little snowshoeing in the North Country snow.

January 27, 2019 - Everett wanted us to feel welcome and loved, so he made a poster with our name on it by folding small gum wrapper sized papers.

January 20, 2019 - Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Elder & Sister Spear from providing the swift completion of yummy shakes.

January 9, 2019 - We finally made it to Utica. We drove to the mission office and met Brother and Sister Haderlie (office missionaries) and Sister Boekweg (mission nurse) and President and Sister Vest.

January 4th to 9th, 2019 - Our first stop was in Price to say goodbye to Murray, Jim and Jackie Shorts at the Heirloom Inn. It brought back many memories of Mom who lived right across the hall from the Shorts. We stayed only a “short” while (pun intended) and headed east.

Dec 31, 2018 to January 4, 2019 - We Had 5 Wonderful Spirit-Filled Days at the MTC Our 1st full day at the MTC was wonderful, marvelous, a spiritual high and we are so excited to finally be with all the missionaries.

December 30, 2018 - A snowy trip, dinner, check in and a Devotional. As soon as we were set apart, we went home and changed and by 12:30 pm we started the drive to the MTC in Provo.

December 29, 2018 - What a beautiful sweet day...

December 2018 - A visit from Marsha & a trip to see Ryan, Angela & kids in Meridian, Idaho and a last dinner with family.

December 3, 2018 - Surprise! Surprise!

The Last 3 years - We have always wanted to go on a mission together. It is something that I made Mark promise that we would do when we got older and grew an inch or two (mostly around the middle!)