What a Week

Bonjour everyone, hope all is well in your neck of the world.

This has been a busy week in Angouleme because of the annual cartoon festival held here every year. We not only were dodging cars but also people who were about their business of dashing here and there untroubled about the prospect that we might possibly run them over. My warning to Jack is, "We're not in down-town Cokeville anymore!" Last week was hard for me because of my looming doom (my talk). I thought Pres. Ashpole was kidding when he asked me to do that. He wasn't.

So, with the help of a year old Ensign, and the 93 Sect. of the Doctrine & Covenants, I wrote it out and Jack helped translate it into French. Then, so I could give it and be understood, I translated it again phonically, and practiced it again and again. And the rest of the story is that it went slow, but well, and that crazy Pres. Ashpole is now sure I can handle "anything" I'm asked to do: teach a class, visit teach, cook a 10 course meal, fly a plane . . . I don't know what all! I'd like to duck him from now on, but that's hard to do in a branch where if the missionaries (4), and the Branch Pres. and lovely wife, Margaret (2), and the Stake Missionaries called to be the first counselor and wife from Bordeaux (2), didn't show up, there would only be 12 members in attendance. There's no place to hide!

Not that I could bear to turn down a chance to help Pres. Ashpole, he is the nicest proper but droll Englishman you could ever hope to meet. He felt drawn to this city and actually offered his services to the Stake President after chancing to drop by the Branch last summer. I love them both so much; they drive 4 hours to be here every weekend. He was a helicopter pilot for British Airlines and his conversion story is inspiring. He's been a Bishop and several other high profile positions and retired here because of heart trouble, and the prospect of a quieter lifestyle. His French is adequate to be understood, if a bit fractured (according to Jack), but he gets by with good humor and a genuine love for "his Branch" that the members can't help but feel.

Our "little mother" might turn out to be a test case for the church. We went back to see Sister Louise, and the director of the rest home said we could not because they did not allow proselyting there. Jack told him we were just visiting a member, but he wouldn't listen. Anyway, he said he'd talk to her to see if she wanted to see us, and would call us back. We waited a week, on advise of the Church lawyer in Frankfort, Germany, and then returned. He wasn't there at 4 PM, but the Head nurse (who tossed us out the last time) was, and said we could catch him at 9 the next morning. (I thought, all I have to do is walk up those stairs, turn right and down the hall 2 doors and I could see that lonely little 93 year old woman again. I wanted to so badly.)

We showed up at 8:45, and he let us into his office, and he read us a letter that said the Mormon 'sect' had no right to visit her. Jack told him the name Mormon was a nickname others had given us, and gave him the true name. The director then read a letter from her doctor stating that she was incapable of making decisions about who she could see. Jack was writing all this down; and furthermore, he stated, "You didn't even have the courtesy of calling for an appointment." Hmmmmm Sorry, but you stepped into that one! "We waited a week for your return call, and on returning, your Head nurse told us to come at 9 AM this morning; didn't she inform you of this?" Nooo, he was not informed. Bad Head Nurse! So we left, and to tell you the truth I was almost in tears . . . it's all so stupid and wrongheaded and uncaring . . . what about what Sister Meslier wants?

Well, we e-mailed Germany all the details that very day (Fri), and got a telephone call from there early Mon. morning. She began with news of the death of President Hinckley and then talked to Jack about how to handle the case. We have several options to work with, and will keep you informed. Oops . . . I'm long winded tonight, time to wind it up.

Love to you all, Soeur Mom