Bonjour to all you good people out there!
Wow! Thanks for your mail, and letting us know the latest news from the home front. Life can be so good, and so hard at times. Congratulations to you on your taking that big step, Anthony! We love you. So sorry for the heartbreaking events in Cokeville recently; without the gospel to cling to what would people do? I want you to know that being far from you is not easy, but we have come closer to our Heavenly Father. It's really a process of reading the scriptures often to find out His will for His children, and making sincere prayer a priority in my daily life. I feel closer to Him all the time, and that gives me much comfort.
We went to an Ami's (investigator) home with the Elders, since they couldn't teach a single woman alone. It was such a positive experience, and she was so open. When Jack asked if she would come to church on Sunday, she said, "Yes, I can do that," and we about fell off our chairs with happy shock. We arranged to pick her up, and then, at 2 a.m. in the morning she rang up the Elders and said that she'd heard that 800 churches had been closed in the U.S., and so she changed her mind, and hung up! Hmmmmm; 800 L.D.S. churches?? When we heard about it we asked a member to check the Internet for any information at all on any churches being closed. There was none. Besides which it would be unconstitutional, says Jack. But, she would not answer her phone, so that was that for now. Thankfully she gave the Elders another appointment, and we will be seeing her again this week.
So, we picked up Veronique, the volatile, just divorced mother of 2 we are trying to help by befriending her. She dresses in very showy, bright clothes compared to the rest of us fogies, and today looked very springlike in a bright pink chimese dress and heels. Her ex-husband had the kids this week, and is trying to put his life back together calmly and correctly, and it is hard for them both. Everything was fine through the first 2 meetings, and then after the sacrament had been passed and the program began, Veronique realized that Jean-Pierre was the main speaker. He had not been able to participate until things were ironed out between them and the divorce was final. Now, he was asked to talk about the restoration of the Priesthood, and is very knowledgeable and competent to do it. When he had been speaking for a couple of minutes, all of a sudden a flash of pink rushed to the stage. Veronique began to whisper furiously into Jack's ear, and he got up and they went by the podium where the poor man was struggling to stay on the subject. It took several minutes of reasoning with her that everybody can have a second chance, and so she needed to not make it any harder for him and their 2 children than necessary.
They came back in, but she still jumped up and ran out two more times because of her high emotional state. The Elders had a new person there, and we had the Auje's, and although it was a slightly chaotic day, actually we have all been invited to return for further visits. What had us all shaking our heads in frustration has turned out OK, we think. We spent more time with Veronique later that day and brought dinner to her, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Oops, I'm almost out of time. I just wanted you to know life is really nuts here sometimes, but for the most part it is super, and I love it.
Thinking of you, Sister Mom (Joanne)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Another Busy Week
We have just come back from doing a service project for a member of the church north of Angouleme. We took the Elders to some chateau sites on the way. No matter where you go in the province in the Charante there are plenty of good chateaus to see and today was no exception. We had a good picnic of sandwiches, potato salad, fruit salad, and some rhubarb treats that Joanne whipped up last night. One thing about living in France is that you only get fresh fruits and vegs in the season which they grow. The local goods are the best and even though things do come from Spain and North Africa, the best tasting comes locally.
We stopped in at the Morrison family to do our service. They are an English family that have moved from England because their area got too crowded. They sold their home and two acres of ground in England and with that they bought a ranch in France. The house and the out buildings are fixer uppers, but all this gives them the opportunity to raise horses. Carol is legally blind, but has sight in one eye that allows her to make halters with a very soft rope and she sells them world wide. Ray is a big burly fellow who almost lifted me off the ground the first time we met. He is a carpenter by trade and they are in the process of building a barn. Once that is done, they will be able to move the workshops and he can start making furniture and working in the local area for others.
Today we helped spread a gravel mixture over a 1000 square foot court yard. They were grateful for the help of one old guy and two young Elders. We got done in 2 hours. Ray said that it would have taken him until 7 PM to do it all by himself and we were done by 3PM. Good for me to get my heart rate up to a respectable level for once. I get tired sitting in the car going to Bordeaux and around the countryside. I think that meeting with good members of Church all over the area pays more great dividends than having a sore behind once in a while and is well worth the small discomfort.
We are meeting with Eric and his mother twice a month and the last time we were there it was Eric who was teaching his mother and bearing testimony. She is asking good questions. We are also teaching a couple in their 40's. They came to church last Sunday and we have a follow up meeting Thursday. Keep them in your prayers. There names are Carol and Dominique Auje. Ohjay in Joanne's phonic french.
It is such a pleasure to go to Sister Adele, a 77-year-old shut-in. She smiles when we come and she even likes it when I sing with Joanne. She is starting to hum the songs and we will have her singing soon. Adele is very humble and is reticent too, but last week she was willing to say the closing prayer. Last time we taught the Plan of Salvation with the use of a visual. When we were through, I asked her where she wanted to go after this life and she put her finger smack in the middle of the top circle and said, "I want to go there, the Celestial Kingdom." It is a great blessing to see the progress she has made over the last four months. From a shy woman who thought her name was off the Church register, to someone who gives good kisses on both cheeks of Joanne and gives me a beaming smile as we leave when I say, Soyez sage or be good. This
is what this work is all about.
We are in good health and although the rain keeps us from doing a little port-a-port, door to door, tracting with the Elders, there is plenty to do. Being the 2nd counselor keeps us hopping since we are the only ones to represent the branch presidency during the week. We love you all and appreciate your support and prayers. The work is moving slowly, but is moving forward and that is what counts.
We stopped in at the Morrison family to do our service. They are an English family that have moved from England because their area got too crowded. They sold their home and two acres of ground in England and with that they bought a ranch in France. The house and the out buildings are fixer uppers, but all this gives them the opportunity to raise horses. Carol is legally blind, but has sight in one eye that allows her to make halters with a very soft rope and she sells them world wide. Ray is a big burly fellow who almost lifted me off the ground the first time we met. He is a carpenter by trade and they are in the process of building a barn. Once that is done, they will be able to move the workshops and he can start making furniture and working in the local area for others.
Today we helped spread a gravel mixture over a 1000 square foot court yard. They were grateful for the help of one old guy and two young Elders. We got done in 2 hours. Ray said that it would have taken him until 7 PM to do it all by himself and we were done by 3PM. Good for me to get my heart rate up to a respectable level for once. I get tired sitting in the car going to Bordeaux and around the countryside. I think that meeting with good members of Church all over the area pays more great dividends than having a sore behind once in a while and is well worth the small discomfort.
We are meeting with Eric and his mother twice a month and the last time we were there it was Eric who was teaching his mother and bearing testimony. She is asking good questions. We are also teaching a couple in their 40's. They came to church last Sunday and we have a follow up meeting Thursday. Keep them in your prayers. There names are Carol and Dominique Auje. Ohjay in Joanne's phonic french.
It is such a pleasure to go to Sister Adele, a 77-year-old shut-in. She smiles when we come and she even likes it when I sing with Joanne. She is starting to hum the songs and we will have her singing soon. Adele is very humble and is reticent too, but last week she was willing to say the closing prayer. Last time we taught the Plan of Salvation with the use of a visual. When we were through, I asked her where she wanted to go after this life and she put her finger smack in the middle of the top circle and said, "I want to go there, the Celestial Kingdom." It is a great blessing to see the progress she has made over the last four months. From a shy woman who thought her name was off the Church register, to someone who gives good kisses on both cheeks of Joanne and gives me a beaming smile as we leave when I say, Soyez sage or be good. This
is what this work is all about.
We are in good health and although the rain keeps us from doing a little port-a-port, door to door, tracting with the Elders, there is plenty to do. Being the 2nd counselor keeps us hopping since we are the only ones to represent the branch presidency during the week. We love you all and appreciate your support and prayers. The work is moving slowly, but is moving forward and that is what counts.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I Am Here
Bonjour my family and friends!
This is the end of an interesting week for me, first getting through my "discourse" in Sacrament somehow, and then getting permission to visit overnight with our Branch President and his wife.
I worked so hard to translate my French talk into a work of phonics, so that I could pronounce the words correctly, so the members could understand me. This is a sample: UH AMI MA-DI UH JOUR, KUH LAY FAMM KEY SON DON L'EGLISE SON TREY DURR EN SWA-MEMM. ELLE PONSE KELL-DWA ETRA PAR-FAY EN TOOT CHOSE! (I hope I haven't killed you off, Elder Betteridge!) I had seven pages of this, double spaced and written in my best elementary school capitol letters. But, as I began to reread it, it looked and sounded like complete gibberish to me, just sounds without meaning. I wanted to toss it into the trash and run for the hills!
Jack tried to calm me down by "helping" me to see my small errors: not "honking" my EN, and saying A for ah, and ah for A, mixing up une and un, et and est... EEEK! The night before, our new transfer, Elder Mayo, counseled me on learning French by reading the real words, not made up ones, and that made total sense, so I began to change things back. Now my papers were covered with colorful red and green marks and arrows and frowney faces, etc. and was scary to look at. Now Jack counseled me to start over, and redo the whole thing, and reluctantly, I could see that he was right, so I stayed up until 11 doing it how I figured was best for me.
With only 20 or so people to serve, the Sacrament is over in a heartbeat, and as I began, you could literally hear a pin drop. The members are so patient with us fracturing their language, they were wonderful with their compliments afterwards. Even Jean-Jac shook my hand and claimed to understand my words. C'est vrait?, I asked him. He said, Oui, it is true! (This is from a man that most French people can't even understand! :) )
We drove early in the morning on Monday to Breve, which is past Perigouex (the farthest point south we have ventured so far). The countryside totally changes there, becoming more mountainous (a high of 600 ft.) and rocky, and was very picturesque of course. We located a couple of great chateaus along the river on our way, and still got there at noon as planned. The Ashpoles are
great people, and they both are full of stories told with great gusto along with their very droll British sense of humor. They insisted on showing us some sights, and we were soon flying low over hill and dale in their late model Peugeot. Pres. A used to fly helicopters for British Airlines, and I think he was having flashbacks! We had a late dinner and went to bed without tackling the member list that was the reason for our visit!
Tuesday (our P-day), dawned even more rainy than the day before, but they had more to show us, so armed w
ith our umbrellas we took off again. Oh, my it was terrific. We saw the red village . . a beautifully laid out ville where all the houses and church and buildings are all built of red brick like rock. It was so interesting because the rest of the country is of normal rock. Then we went to a famous abbey built high on a rock cliff where the monks ascended the stairs on their knees. We took a tram to get to the place, and tourists flock there so of course there are many shops and 
stores. We were up that night too, so we stayed an extra day and they got the member list tackled in the morning. You see that couple missionaries have much lee-way, and are encouraged to take time for themselves.
Well, that's all for now, take care.
Love you, Sister Mom
This is the end of an interesting week for me, first getting through my "discourse" in Sacrament somehow, and then getting permission to visit overnight with our Branch President and his wife.
I worked so hard to translate my French talk into a work of phonics, so that I could pronounce the words correctly, so the members could understand me. This is a sample: UH AMI MA-DI UH JOUR, KUH LAY FAMM KEY SON DON L'EGLISE SON TREY DURR EN SWA-MEMM. ELLE PONSE KELL-DWA ETRA PAR-FAY EN TOOT CHOSE! (I hope I haven't killed you off, Elder Betteridge!) I had seven pages of this, double spaced and written in my best elementary school capitol letters. But, as I began to reread it, it looked and sounded like complete gibberish to me, just sounds without meaning. I wanted to toss it into the trash and run for the hills!
Jack tried to calm me down by "helping" me to see my small errors: not "honking" my EN, and saying A for ah, and ah for A, mixing up une and un, et and est... EEEK! The night before, our new transfer, Elder Mayo, counseled me on learning French by reading the real words, not made up ones, and that made total sense, so I began to change things back. Now my papers were covered with colorful red and green marks and arrows and frowney faces, etc. and was scary to look at. Now Jack counseled me to start over, and redo the whole thing, and reluctantly, I could see that he was right, so I stayed up until 11 doing it how I figured was best for me.
With only 20 or so people to serve, the Sacrament is over in a heartbeat, and as I began, you could literally hear a pin drop. The members are so patient with us fracturing their language, they were wonderful with their compliments afterwards. Even Jean-Jac shook my hand and claimed to understand my words. C'est vrait?, I asked him. He said, Oui, it is true! (This is from a man that most French people can't even understand! :) )
We drove early in the morning on Monday to Breve, which is past Perigouex (the farthest point south we have ventured so far). The countryside totally changes there, becoming more mountainous (a high of 600 ft.) and rocky, and was very picturesque of course. We located a couple of great chateaus along the river on our way, and still got there at noon as planned. The Ashpoles are
great people, and they both are full of stories told with great gusto along with their very droll British sense of humor. They insisted on showing us some sights, and we were soon flying low over hill and dale in their late model Peugeot. Pres. A used to fly helicopters for British Airlines, and I think he was having flashbacks! We had a late dinner and went to bed without tackling the member list that was the reason for our visit!Tuesday (our P-day), dawned even more rainy than the day before, but they had more to show us, so armed w
ith our umbrellas we took off again. Oh, my it was terrific. We saw the red village . . a beautifully laid out ville where all the houses and church and buildings are all built of red brick like rock. It was so interesting because the rest of the country is of normal rock. Then we went to a famous abbey built high on a rock cliff where the monks ascended the stairs on their knees. We took a tram to get to the place, and tourists flock there so of course there are many shops and 
stores. We were up that night too, so we stayed an extra day and they got the member list tackled in the morning. You see that couple missionaries have much lee-way, and are encouraged to take time for themselves.Well, that's all for now, take care.
Love you, Sister Mom
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
News from France
Hello from France. We are spending a couple of days with our branch president as we see a few sites and get the branch list up to date. We have contacted all the members that are on the list and many we can't find and many have moved. Our Stake President said to cross the members off the list that have moved and those who have we can't find, so that is what we are doing. The member list has not been updated for ten years.We are having some great experiences taking the gospel to members way out of town and those who can't get to church because of health reasons. We have been going to 77-year-old Sister Adele Soubaraud and have been working with her for the last three months. We have started to teach her the gospel from scratch and give her confidence in her faith. I have been stressing prayer with her and trying to get her to pray morning and night. This week, we asked her about her prayers and she said that she was able to start but she has not been able to get her prayers finished. We then taught the simple stages of prayer again and then asked her to close with prayer. She was willing and that alone was a great experience from a Sister who is shy and not to confident in her abilities. With more teaching and letting her know she could do it she offered the prayer. What a great spiritual blessing! When we congratulated her on a beautiful prayer, she beamed with a beautiful smile. I am grateful for these blessings to see the progress of the members we are seeing.
We saw and taught Eric Fourcier and his mother, Yann last week. During our Sunday School lesson, Yann had a number of questions on the passages of the Bookof Mormon and it was great to have her son teach her the principles of the gospel. Her questions showed a lot of thought and some good progress. He is still in pain and we are still praying and fasting to hear our Father in Heaven's answer. I felt the Spirit tell me that the answer to his situation will only come through much prayer and fasting. Eric is willing to fast and pray with us.
We have been active on all fronts and our days are filled with teaching opportunities and we love the time spent. We come home tired but we know that the work is going forward. Our Stake President blessed the city and the area and rededicated the city to the teaching of the gospel. We had a good attendance at church last week as 3 children (two at the age of 3 and 18 months and one new born), of an inactive member were blessed as well as her active brother's new son. Her brother is from Bordeaux.
Good time are had by both of us and we are in good health and fine spirits.
Love Elder Dad, Grandpa, Papa, and Jack
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Way It Is
Bonjour everyone, I'm thinking about all your faces right this minute and you make me smile.
I've never looked forward to a General Conference as I did this one, and I was not disappointed. We traveled to Perigouex on Saturday to be able to watch the morning session at 6 P.M. that night. We had the two Elders from Angouleme with us, and Jack actu
ally let Elder Clyde do the driving since he is to be sent to Marsaille today--in fact he's on the train right now. He and his companion walked or rode the bus here, but there he will drive a mission car, so the President asked Jack to teach him to parallel park (a must), and Jack threw in the bonus driving to get him used to the car. We had time to stop on the way at a special tourist attraction, a town called Brantome. It has a grotto (which we didn't see), and a huge church built practically into the rock face of some cliffs, where two rivers flow together and make a beautiful setting. We took pictures there, as well as at a marvelous chateau built on top of a sky-high sheer rock mountain, so you can see that we can't go far without having our heads completely turned by something great to look at!
Sunday morning we were on the road to Perigouex again, sadly without the two members who expressed great interest in going with us, but just couldn't make the final commitment needed to make it happen. We were at Abdel Soumahoro's apt. two nights before when he asked his parents if he could go with us, and they said, yes. His mother, who runs an Africa Only shop in town, was sorting through some cellophane packages. She wears an ever-present tiny phone in her ear, with its blue light flickering, and seems like a shrewd business woman. "Soeur", she said to me, "We have these beautiful new items just in from Africa, I'll show you." She started opening them, and showed me a long, satin, brightly colored . . . what? Sash? Neck piece? Hair wrap? She pantomimed all three as she whipped this long piece of fabric around, its pointed triangles (sewn lengthwise up and down) bouncing and flashing brightly! She unwrapped it off her closely cropped head, and tossed it to me, "Only 7 Euro!" she sang out! Jack came over, and I said, "Do you want ME to get one of these?" He nodded yes, so I threw the royal blue one around my neck and smiled that I liked that one! "Good choice!" she claimed! (OK, so we're suckers, BUT I bet I get more mileage out of my purchase from her than he did when we were at her store, and the only thing he could find to buy was peanut butter in a can. It was a deep brown color, and swam in oil . . . he gamely mixed and mixed and tried the stuff . . . and then I disappeared it a couple of days later, before he killed himself!) So, we got home and I tried on my authentic African whatsit, and found a tag that said, "Made in China". Hmmmmm. Maybe it was made by the Africans living in China? Maybe they work cheap too?
Anyway, conference was great. They set us up in an upstairs classroom with a TV set to the English channel. I had watched a little of the French translation downstairs in the chapel, but it was hard to hear a voice over the voices you know and love. They don't get the emotion and feelings of the words being expressed, and that made me sad, but they seemed to like it just fine. I wanted most to hear President Monson speak, and was so glad when at last he did, and spoke with power and conviction. I know he is God's prophet on earth today, and that we must follow his leadership and inspiration to stay on the path to return to our Heavenly Home. I know that God lives, and loves every one of his children, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
I love you all.
Sister Mom (Joanne/Granma)
I've never looked forward to a General Conference as I did this one, and I was not disappointed. We traveled to Perigouex on Saturday to be able to watch the morning session at 6 P.M. that night. We had the two Elders from Angouleme with us, and Jack actu
ally let Elder Clyde do the driving since he is to be sent to Marsaille today--in fact he's on the train right now. He and his companion walked or rode the bus here, but there he will drive a mission car, so the President asked Jack to teach him to parallel park (a must), and Jack threw in the bonus driving to get him used to the car. We had time to stop on the way at a special tourist attraction, a town called Brantome. It has a grotto (which we didn't see), and a huge church built practically into the rock face of some cliffs, where two rivers flow together and make a beautiful setting. We took pictures there, as well as at a marvelous chateau built on top of a sky-high sheer rock mountain, so you can see that we can't go far without having our heads completely turned by something great to look at!Sunday morning we were on the road to Perigouex again, sadly without the two members who expressed great interest in going with us, but just couldn't make the final commitment needed to make it happen. We were at Abdel Soumahoro's apt. two nights before when he asked his parents if he could go with us, and they said, yes. His mother, who runs an Africa Only shop in town, was sorting through some cellophane packages. She wears an ever-present tiny phone in her ear, with its blue light flickering, and seems like a shrewd business woman. "Soeur", she said to me, "We have these beautiful new items just in from Africa, I'll show you." She started opening them, and showed me a long, satin, brightly colored . . . what? Sash? Neck piece? Hair wrap? She pantomimed all three as she whipped this long piece of fabric around, its pointed triangles (sewn lengthwise up and down) bouncing and flashing brightly! She unwrapped it off her closely cropped head, and tossed it to me, "Only 7 Euro!" she sang out! Jack came over, and I said, "Do you want ME to get one of these?" He nodded yes, so I threw the royal blue one around my neck and smiled that I liked that one! "Good choice!" she claimed! (OK, so we're suckers, BUT I bet I get more mileage out of my purchase from her than he did when we were at her store, and the only thing he could find to buy was peanut butter in a can. It was a deep brown color, and swam in oil . . . he gamely mixed and mixed and tried the stuff . . . and then I disappeared it a couple of days later, before he killed himself!) So, we got home and I tried on my authentic African whatsit, and found a tag that said, "Made in China". Hmmmmm. Maybe it was made by the Africans living in China? Maybe they work cheap too?
Anyway, conference was great. They set us up in an upstairs classroom with a TV set to the English channel. I had watched a little of the French translation downstairs in the chapel, but it was hard to hear a voice over the voices you know and love. They don't get the emotion and feelings of the words being expressed, and that made me sad, but they seemed to like it just fine. I wanted most to hear President Monson speak, and was so glad when at last he did, and spoke with power and conviction. I know he is God's prophet on earth today, and that we must follow his leadership and inspiration to stay on the path to return to our Heavenly Home. I know that God lives, and loves every one of his children, and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
I love you all.
Sister Mom (Joanne/Granma)
Go, Go, Go
We had a good week. We found three more member's addresses and are in the process of making contact. We have had some success with a former member who lives next to our 98-year-old member that we meet with each week. We met with Sister Mourier because our 98-year-old member, Sister Chaveau wanted us to be contacted if anything happened to her. Sister Mourier has noticed that we have been coming once a week and that has made an impression on her. When I went to let her know of Sister Chaveau's wishes, I asked her if she would like a copy of the March "Liahona" concerning the life of Christ and she was pleased with the offer. She said that her husband has made it easier on her to have a little more contact with the Church. When I delivered the magazine. she invited us in but since we had another rendezvous, we said next time and she agreed.
We spent two hours with our little Lucette Denis making carrot cake. She can't believe that we can make a cake from carrots and icing with cheese (just so non-French), but she loves the taste. We are making the rounds with all those who can't get to church and our biggest situation is with Eric Fourcier. He is a member with psychological problems and would desperately like to find a cure. We are making it a matter of fasting and prayer this Sunday, so if you would like to join us, please do. He is the finest person in the world and loves the Lord, but I have never seen someone in so much pain before in my life.
We would like to become a little more involved in the teaching of amis (contacts that would like to hear the Gospel), so the Elders are going to give us all their single women and one elderly gentleman. The Elders must find a member of the Church when they teach single women so there are three when they enter the home. Joanne and I don't have that restriction.
There is the biggest transfer ever in the mission because of missionaries leaving and a new large group coming from Provo. Elder Clyde is headed to Marsaille, over on the other side of the mission and we get Elder Mayo, who has been out 6 weeks. He is reported to be a fireball and with Elder Osborne they ought to do well. Elder Osborne has a very good command of French so that will also help.
We are waiting to hear from the French lawyer, member of the Church, who is working on our rest home problem. He is fired up and we are looking to hear from him this week. He was upset when we told him that the reason we were not allowed in one rest home was because we were a sect. He said that he would set them straight because the French government declared by law that we were considered a church back in 1987. We really want to give our members the rights they deserve and the benefits of the sacrament.
We are doing fine, but this is the first time we have been joined at the hip for 24/7 and love must overcome all else and we are learning more about eternity during our time here. Eternal principles rule and we are enjoying learning how to live together under divine principles. We don't matter much when the work of the Lord is at hand.
Love Elder Dad
We spent two hours with our little Lucette Denis making carrot cake. She can't believe that we can make a cake from carrots and icing with cheese (just so non-French), but she loves the taste. We are making the rounds with all those who can't get to church and our biggest situation is with Eric Fourcier. He is a member with psychological problems and would desperately like to find a cure. We are making it a matter of fasting and prayer this Sunday, so if you would like to join us, please do. He is the finest person in the world and loves the Lord, but I have never seen someone in so much pain before in my life.
We would like to become a little more involved in the teaching of amis (contacts that would like to hear the Gospel), so the Elders are going to give us all their single women and one elderly gentleman. The Elders must find a member of the Church when they teach single women so there are three when they enter the home. Joanne and I don't have that restriction.
There is the biggest transfer ever in the mission because of missionaries leaving and a new large group coming from Provo. Elder Clyde is headed to Marsaille, over on the other side of the mission and we get Elder Mayo, who has been out 6 weeks. He is reported to be a fireball and with Elder Osborne they ought to do well. Elder Osborne has a very good command of French so that will also help.
We are waiting to hear from the French lawyer, member of the Church, who is working on our rest home problem. He is fired up and we are looking to hear from him this week. He was upset when we told him that the reason we were not allowed in one rest home was because we were a sect. He said that he would set them straight because the French government declared by law that we were considered a church back in 1987. We really want to give our members the rights they deserve and the benefits of the sacrament.
We are doing fine, but this is the first time we have been joined at the hip for 24/7 and love must overcome all else and we are learning more about eternity during our time here. Eternal principles rule and we are enjoying learning how to live together under divine principles. We don't matter much when the work of the Lord is at hand.
Love Elder Dad
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Bread
This little piece is to let you know how much different the bread is here in France.
The usual fair is a bagette which comes in a long form of various sizes. We usually get the size that is about 14" long and is about 3" around in the middle and tappers at each end to form the "croute." That is why the when the French want to eat they often say "casse la croute" or break the end. The smaller bagette will last us one evening meal with a little left over for breakfast. There is a bigger bagette. It is about 5" in the middle and about 3' long. The bagette comes in many types; wheat, country, grains, and about five other types with different ingredients. We now buy the polka bread. It is full flavor and the last piece that is left goes down with peanut butter, which isn't all that bad. The French bread with peanut butter is going to be missed when I come home. I know they try to make French bread in the States, but it is the oven and grains that make the difference. Some bakers in the country still use wood for their oven heat. The cost is anywhere from $1.00 to a buck and a half. But that is not all, there is round bread, oval bread (in all the grains), black bread, brown bread, white bread and everything in between. They even have the American type bread so we can have French toast (which is, of course, a misnomer). We love to eat our French toast with apricot jam and it is to die for.
The French carry their traditional bagettes in all sorts of ways, but the way still seen is with it under their arm. I think that is the reason for the hard crust. Joanne has found a cream cheese spread here that is better than the Philadelphia cheese spread from back home. She has started to keep the company in business and there was an announcement last week that they were increasing their production because of the influx of buyers in Angouleme. Little do they know. I am a big fan of the peanut butter method.
The American carrot cake is sweeping the Charante and we are headed tomorrow to bake it at Sister Lucette Denis home. She will get half and Brother Mangou will benefit from the other half. I will go down as the greatest person to sacrifice because none will come home with us. I have gone through my life not believing in the idea that giving for the cause of the church was a sacrifice until now.
We will travel to Perigeaux for conference. It is 70 miles away and we will see one session on Saturday evening and on Sunday we will see the priesthood session and Saturday afternoon and the Sunday morning direct transmission.
We are well even though we have set backs with the wins we have. We have won one more today with a sister in a rest home. She wants us to come. With her request, there is nothing the rest home can do to keep us out.
Love Elder Dad (Jack, grandpa, and Papa)
The usual fair is a bagette which comes in a long form of various sizes. We usually get the size that is about 14" long and is about 3" around in the middle and tappers at each end to form the "croute." That is why the when the French want to eat they often say "casse la croute" or break the end. The smaller bagette will last us one evening meal with a little left over for breakfast. There is a bigger bagette. It is about 5" in the middle and about 3' long. The bagette comes in many types; wheat, country, grains, and about five other types with different ingredients. We now buy the polka bread. It is full flavor and the last piece that is left goes down with peanut butter, which isn't all that bad. The French bread with peanut butter is going to be missed when I come home. I know they try to make French bread in the States, but it is the oven and grains that make the difference. Some bakers in the country still use wood for their oven heat. The cost is anywhere from $1.00 to a buck and a half. But that is not all, there is round bread, oval bread (in all the grains), black bread, brown bread, white bread and everything in between. They even have the American type bread so we can have French toast (which is, of course, a misnomer). We love to eat our French toast with apricot jam and it is to die for.
The French carry their traditional bagettes in all sorts of ways, but the way still seen is with it under their arm. I think that is the reason for the hard crust. Joanne has found a cream cheese spread here that is better than the Philadelphia cheese spread from back home. She has started to keep the company in business and there was an announcement last week that they were increasing their production because of the influx of buyers in Angouleme. Little do they know. I am a big fan of the peanut butter method.
The American carrot cake is sweeping the Charante and we are headed tomorrow to bake it at Sister Lucette Denis home. She will get half and Brother Mangou will benefit from the other half. I will go down as the greatest person to sacrifice because none will come home with us. I have gone through my life not believing in the idea that giving for the cause of the church was a sacrifice until now.
We will travel to Perigeaux for conference. It is 70 miles away and we will see one session on Saturday evening and on Sunday we will see the priesthood session and Saturday afternoon and the Sunday morning direct transmission.
We are well even though we have set backs with the wins we have. We have won one more today with a sister in a rest home. She wants us to come. With her request, there is nothing the rest home can do to keep us out.
Love Elder Dad (Jack, grandpa, and Papa)
French Experiences
Bonjour and a happy day to you all - Life is good, if you keep on smiling!
I want to tell you more about Sister Chauveau today. I made her some of Joanna's apple/cranberry crisp for her treat of the week, and we headed out in the pouring rain to her place. We found her a little dazed and confused at first, because she had suffered a fall in her kitchen just the day before, and had hit her head, as well as bruised her shoulder and arm. No one came when she pushed the alarm button on a string around her neck, so she helped herself by scootching slowly into the front room and pulling the covers off her chez-lounge to help her kneel as she pulled herself up onto it. It was tough on her, but she's doing OK.
We asked what was her favorite hymn (I Know That My Redeemer Lives), and then we sang it together. I really liked that. She's had a sad life, with a mother who told her that she hated her, and a father who beat his wife and was mean to his children. She married a Sicilian man who was nice at first, and then beat her once, and that was all he got, because she saw a doctor who certified it, and she was able to take her young son and leave.
She lived in Paris for many years, working in a bank, and when in her 80's, moved clear out to Villebois (that has the greatest ruins of a castle on a hill that you'll ever see!). A couple who lived across the street from her, the Mourier's, brought her to church with them and introduced her to the sister missionaries. She felt at home in the chapel and felt welcomed and was soon baptized. She then became Relief Society president, and had no clue of what to do, but just relied on prayer, the manual, and just trying to do her best. Isn't that awesome? Then, Hurbert Mourier went coo-coo, and became the anti-christ and tried to talk her into leaving the church also--but she had a firm testimony and told him to get lost. She had a wonderful manifestation of a bright figure of a man standing before her one night, and it made her feel that if heaven is anything like that, she is ready to go. She asked Jack if it was true we would be on our mission for two years, and when he said yes, she clapped her hands with joy and said, "O, I feel better now, I can have someone to hold my hands when I die!" (Frankly, the way she's going, she'll outlive us all.) I was able to send cards to 3 missionaries that worked with her, and it's fun to think that they will find out she's still here.
We drove to Bordeaux on Saturday for a special Priesthood meeting for the Stake with the first session 2 and a half hours long. Sister Ashpole and I thought about window shopping, but it really didn't appeal to us. Then, our very own District Leader, a red-headed dynamo named Elder Warren, showed up at loose ends with a new member to see, but lacking a third party to accompany them because it was a woman. I said, maybe we could help you? And he happily agreed, except they would have to walk, while we drove, because of mission rules. Hmmmm. Sis. Ashpole rushed into the church and talked a French sister into coming with us, and now we were legal. She didn't want to drive her husband's right side steering wheel Jaguar in the city traffic, so that left me! I didn't stop to think that this would only be my second driving experience since being here, I just gulped and said, I can do it! So with Elder Warren directing me, we drove into town to Bernadette's apt.
She is from Shri Lanka, is separated from her husband, and has a 13-year-old son who is being aggressively courted by some Temoigne Jehovah's. He says that the Book of Mormon is all lies, and wants them to be a "Happy, together family" by her dropping her new religion; and she is conflicted because she believes in the church, but her son is everything to her. Well, Elder Warren was great with her, and his three sister missionary ladies (French, British, and American) tried
to reinforce his thoughts as well as encourage her to be the mother, and be strong in her faith. It is great to be a missionary.
That's all for me this week, thanks for your letters you two, and for all your prayers and thoughts directed our way.
Love you, Sister Mom (Joanne & Granma)
I want to tell you more about Sister Chauveau today. I made her some of Joanna's apple/cranberry crisp for her treat of the week, and we headed out in the pouring rain to her place. We found her a little dazed and confused at first, because she had suffered a fall in her kitchen just the day before, and had hit her head, as well as bruised her shoulder and arm. No one came when she pushed the alarm button on a string around her neck, so she helped herself by scootching slowly into the front room and pulling the covers off her chez-lounge to help her kneel as she pulled herself up onto it. It was tough on her, but she's doing OK.
We asked what was her favorite hymn (I Know That My Redeemer Lives), and then we sang it together. I really liked that. She's had a sad life, with a mother who told her that she hated her, and a father who beat his wife and was mean to his children. She married a Sicilian man who was nice at first, and then beat her once, and that was all he got, because she saw a doctor who certified it, and she was able to take her young son and leave.
She lived in Paris for many years, working in a bank, and when in her 80's, moved clear out to Villebois (that has the greatest ruins of a castle on a hill that you'll ever see!). A couple who lived across the street from her, the Mourier's, brought her to church with them and introduced her to the sister missionaries. She felt at home in the chapel and felt welcomed and was soon baptized. She then became Relief Society president, and had no clue of what to do, but just relied on prayer, the manual, and just trying to do her best. Isn't that awesome? Then, Hurbert Mourier went coo-coo, and became the anti-christ and tried to talk her into leaving the church also--but she had a firm testimony and told him to get lost. She had a wonderful manifestation of a bright figure of a man standing before her one night, and it made her feel that if heaven is anything like that, she is ready to go. She asked Jack if it was true we would be on our mission for two years, and when he said yes, she clapped her hands with joy and said, "O, I feel better now, I can have someone to hold my hands when I die!" (Frankly, the way she's going, she'll outlive us all.) I was able to send cards to 3 missionaries that worked with her, and it's fun to think that they will find out she's still here.
We drove to Bordeaux on Saturday for a special Priesthood meeting for the Stake with the first session 2 and a half hours long. Sister Ashpole and I thought about window shopping, but it really didn't appeal to us. Then, our very own District Leader, a red-headed dynamo named Elder Warren, showed up at loose ends with a new member to see, but lacking a third party to accompany them because it was a woman. I said, maybe we could help you? And he happily agreed, except they would have to walk, while we drove, because of mission rules. Hmmmm. Sis. Ashpole rushed into the church and talked a French sister into coming with us, and now we were legal. She didn't want to drive her husband's right side steering wheel Jaguar in the city traffic, so that left me! I didn't stop to think that this would only be my second driving experience since being here, I just gulped and said, I can do it! So with Elder Warren directing me, we drove into town to Bernadette's apt.
She is from Shri Lanka, is separated from her husband, and has a 13-year-old son who is being aggressively courted by some Temoigne Jehovah's. He says that the Book of Mormon is all lies, and wants them to be a "Happy, together family" by her dropping her new religion; and she is conflicted because she believes in the church, but her son is everything to her. Well, Elder Warren was great with her, and his three sister missionary ladies (French, British, and American) tried
to reinforce his thoughts as well as encourage her to be the mother, and be strong in her faith. It is great to be a missionary.
That's all for me this week, thanks for your letters you two, and for all your prayers and thoughts directed our way.
Love you, Sister Mom (Joanne & Granma)
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