We are well into another week and time stands still for no man. We have had a good week. Our amis at church jumped to 7 this week and with people coming to visit, we nearly doubled the branch numbers. It was great to have two investigator classes. The Elders are teaching two amis in English and Brother Mazaleyrat and I worked with new amis from Portugal. We sure could have used Phil and Jaime on that day. They speak pretty good French and with the first vision in Portuguese, we did alright.
The Elders were in town, a walking mall, and were contacting the people who were strolling through the area. They contacted a family of 4 and the husband said that he was a member of the church and was baptized in his home land of Portugal 20 years ago. He is inactive and his
wife is not a member.
Joanne and I went to visit them after two visits by the Elders. Sandra, the non member said that when Joanne and I showed up at their door, she knew that she should let us in. She had not let the Elders in the two times before. We were able to teach her the restoration of the church and they said they would come to church. They have a 4-year-old boy who is having trouble in school because he doesn't speak French and a 16-month-old daughter. Juan, the father, is looking for work and right now they are living with the father, mother, and brother. Things are a little cramped with all of them. They came to church on the 3rd Sunday of the month, which is our branch meal together. It was a good thing that Joanne over cooks for the meal because that made enough food for everyone. The meal also helped them be at ease with the members and Alain Kause got with Juan to help him with some job agencies in town.
The next time we went to the house Juan's sister was there. We taught them a little about the plan of salvation and again invited them to church. Juan, Sandra, and their kids came and so did the sister and her young 3-year-old boy. We went back on Tuesday and Sandra said she felt comfortable at church and could feel a special spirit there. We were able to teach them about the Holy Ghost at that time since she had recognized the feeling. I made some of my banana bread and we took it with us. They enjoyed it and we continued with the plan of salvation because Juan told us about the death of two of his brothers.
Sandra is a choice person. If we can get them settled into a job and into a place of their own , we will be able to make better progress with them. Sandra speaks very good English, French, and, of course, Portuguese. She has a sweet spirit and both Juan and Sandra treat their children in a loving way. Too many French people just shout at their children.
The Elders are teaching a brother from Nigeria and a sister from Ethiopia. Our sister from Ethiopia is progressing in her understanding of the Gospel. Both Bright (Nigeria) and Unsete (Ethiopian) speak better English than French, so they are taught in Sunday school in English. If this keeps up we will have an real international setting.
It looks like we might move to a house if all goes well. Our 81-year-old Relief Society President has put her papers in for the genealogy mission in SLC. If she is called, we will move into her home and pay her the rent we now pay for our small place here. The house has much more room and many of the comforts of home.
I had the opportunity to interview our only teenage girl last week for a trip to Spain and a week stay with the rest of the Stake's young people at the temple complex in Madrid. She will have the chance to meet many others of her age, do baptismal work, study the scriptures with the youth and the leaders and see the sights of Madrid. I am anxious to hear her remarks on her return.
We are slowly getting things in order in the branch. The lost and found work goes on and we are paring down the numbers as we find the members in other areas of France and the world. We have had members move not only out of the province, but out of the country. In one way or another, we are finding out where they are and sending their membership records where they belong. I feel like a sleuth when I use all the avenues at my disposal, but the greatest way is through prayer. One way or another, we are led to find out where these members are.
Well keep smiling and doing your best.
Love Elder Dad
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Plunging for Converts
Bonjour mes freres et soeurs (my brothers and sisters)--I can picture you all in my mind today, and I hope everything is "ca va" (going well) in each of your lives.
We are having some good things going for us to push out the bad. The family Soumahoro, from Africa, are the hard luck folks here. They've been members for a few years and were once active, but now are not. We visit them occasionally to keep in touch, and try to connect with Abdel, their 16 year old son. He plays soccer all his waking hours, and has some natural talent for the game (we watched him one Sat.), and his family seems to think he will become a famous professional someday and they will all be millionaires. The mother, Assa, is a business woman, and has her fingers in a lot of pies, trying to keep things afloat. The dad was a strong, vibrant man, until hit by a terrible illness that has left him crippled and so weak he can hardly walk. The last time we stopped by to see them, I could hardly watch as he made his torturous way down a flight of stairs just to shake our hands, smiling all the way.
Abdel, the nicest, and most polite boy I've met here, wasn't home. His other sibling, his 9 yr.old sister, has an affliction that just makes you want to cry. She has a facial tumor that covers much of her head and neck, and seems bigger to me this time. She's been seen by doctors in Paris, but I think they are stumped by its massiveness, and have given up on her. Assa sat us down and served us orange juice and Pringles, and introduced us to her older, married daughter, who has moved here from Paris to start a Coiffure shop for African women with her mother. She was very nice, and Jack asked her if she'd like to hear about the church, and she said yes, but after they got the business up and running in Oct. Then, when Jack informed them that there was a new branch president, and it was him, they applauded! Their faces just beamed, and they congratulated him, and as we departed Assa called out, "Bless you President, and we will be coming to church this Sunday!" (I thought for sure we could take that declaration to the bank, but they didn't come.)
Anyway, my undaunted husband went by the shop to see if he could help, they were in the painting stage then, but they had all the help they needed. Then last Sat., opening day, we dropped by again, and it was fun to see the women in full, bright native dress walking between the '2' shops they have there! The other is just across the street, kitty corner, and sells food mostly; this was the first we'd heard of it. Jack just ran in to ask how everything was, and there was a big problem with the plumbing--the toilet there has not been working, so now they needed a plumber. They hated the expense of that, but now that the shop was up and going, this must be fixed. Jack told them he knew a plumber in our branch, and promised to see about it. "Thank you, President!"
On our way home, he said, "I think I need to try plunging it; maybe that's all it needs." So, we stopped at Brico Depot and bought a wimpy looking plunger for the job (cross your fingers), and today was the day. We dressed in our grubbies (apparently I may have to hold his legs, or something!), and armed with a bucket and the plunger we headed out. Assa's daughter took us back to the toilet, a dingy old thing with the tank so high up on the side wall that Jack had to climb a ladder to get to it. What he found there was amazing--someone had put a plastic device with blue dye into the tank, and it had slipped out of place and gotten tightly trapped in the working parts, and gummed things up. He removed it, and turned the water back on, and VOILA!, flush, flush, & more flush, they have a working toilet again.
She was so happy, and wondered if he could look at the toilet in the other store, because it wasn't working either. So, escorted by a family member, we entered the little market, and were taken back to the problem area. The toilet here was in a sort of cupboard, with a cylinder style tank, on the wall also. The dapper man who brought us there was bemoaning the time he had spent pumping away with the little plunger he had. Then, Jack stepped up to bat, (so to speak), and began plunging away for all he was worth. He turned on the water, and to our friend's amazement, the water went down the hole like it should! The man beamed from ear to ear, and shook both our hands, and it was great to see the respectful look in his eyes and gratitude he had for that simple act of service. Can toilet plunging lead to bigger and better things?
I think I've written a book! Sorry I got carried away, but time to go :) !
Love, Sister Mom Joanne, Mam
We are having some good things going for us to push out the bad. The family Soumahoro, from Africa, are the hard luck folks here. They've been members for a few years and were once active, but now are not. We visit them occasionally to keep in touch, and try to connect with Abdel, their 16 year old son. He plays soccer all his waking hours, and has some natural talent for the game (we watched him one Sat.), and his family seems to think he will become a famous professional someday and they will all be millionaires. The mother, Assa, is a business woman, and has her fingers in a lot of pies, trying to keep things afloat. The dad was a strong, vibrant man, until hit by a terrible illness that has left him crippled and so weak he can hardly walk. The last time we stopped by to see them, I could hardly watch as he made his torturous way down a flight of stairs just to shake our hands, smiling all the way.
Abdel, the nicest, and most polite boy I've met here, wasn't home. His other sibling, his 9 yr.old sister, has an affliction that just makes you want to cry. She has a facial tumor that covers much of her head and neck, and seems bigger to me this time. She's been seen by doctors in Paris, but I think they are stumped by its massiveness, and have given up on her. Assa sat us down and served us orange juice and Pringles, and introduced us to her older, married daughter, who has moved here from Paris to start a Coiffure shop for African women with her mother. She was very nice, and Jack asked her if she'd like to hear about the church, and she said yes, but after they got the business up and running in Oct. Then, when Jack informed them that there was a new branch president, and it was him, they applauded! Their faces just beamed, and they congratulated him, and as we departed Assa called out, "Bless you President, and we will be coming to church this Sunday!" (I thought for sure we could take that declaration to the bank, but they didn't come.)
Anyway, my undaunted husband went by the shop to see if he could help, they were in the painting stage then, but they had all the help they needed. Then last Sat., opening day, we dropped by again, and it was fun to see the women in full, bright native dress walking between the '2' shops they have there! The other is just across the street, kitty corner, and sells food mostly; this was the first we'd heard of it. Jack just ran in to ask how everything was, and there was a big problem with the plumbing--the toilet there has not been working, so now they needed a plumber. They hated the expense of that, but now that the shop was up and going, this must be fixed. Jack told them he knew a plumber in our branch, and promised to see about it. "Thank you, President!"
On our way home, he said, "I think I need to try plunging it; maybe that's all it needs." So, we stopped at Brico Depot and bought a wimpy looking plunger for the job (cross your fingers), and today was the day. We dressed in our grubbies (apparently I may have to hold his legs, or something!), and armed with a bucket and the plunger we headed out. Assa's daughter took us back to the toilet, a dingy old thing with the tank so high up on the side wall that Jack had to climb a ladder to get to it. What he found there was amazing--someone had put a plastic device with blue dye into the tank, and it had slipped out of place and gotten tightly trapped in the working parts, and gummed things up. He removed it, and turned the water back on, and VOILA!, flush, flush, & more flush, they have a working toilet again.
She was so happy, and wondered if he could look at the toilet in the other store, because it wasn't working either. So, escorted by a family member, we entered the little market, and were taken back to the problem area. The toilet here was in a sort of cupboard, with a cylinder style tank, on the wall also. The dapper man who brought us there was bemoaning the time he had spent pumping away with the little plunger he had. Then, Jack stepped up to bat, (so to speak), and began plunging away for all he was worth. He turned on the water, and to our friend's amazement, the water went down the hole like it should! The man beamed from ear to ear, and shook both our hands, and it was great to see the respectful look in his eyes and gratitude he had for that simple act of service. Can toilet plunging lead to bigger and better things?
I think I've written a book! Sorry I got carried away, but time to go :) !
Love, Sister Mom Joanne, Mam
Better Late Than Never
Hello to all,
I apologize for not getting on the stick and writing especially after complaining that I don't hear from all of you enough. We have been very busy with all the things there are to do here in the branch and with the missionary work on top of that it all compounds into full days and weeks. I have been busy trying to learn all the terms and forms that have to be filled out and getting the branch membership list put in order. The branch membership has changed over the years due to the shift in factories that have left the region. It seems that no one until now has tried to track down the total membership. Joanne and I have have used almost every method known to us to get the lost sheep found.
We have tracked many down through the white pages on the Internet. If we get more than one phone number for the same name, I then call each number and say that I am from the U.S. and am looking for so-and-so. Many times I get a polite no when I add the necessary details to the search, but after many calls, I am successful. The members have gone throughout the country and I am able to track them because France is broken down into numbered departments. If I don't find them locally, I can then branch out into the surrounding area. I have found some as far away as 500 miles. Some of the members have moved out of the country. With those, I have sent referrals to the countries through the missions located there. Sometimes when I call related last names and let them know I am interested in contact so-and-so, I get an enthusiastic response about the person being a mother-in-law or some other relative and I then get their address and telephone number. Of the total 154 members on the original list we have paired it down to 80 that are still in the branch boundaries. This has made a major difference on our percentages for visiting and home teaching and attendance at meetings.
I am happy to say that I don't feel like a direct descendant of Aaron, the brother of Moses, anymore. I now have one of my counselors and hope to have the other soon. Patrick Humblot is the new counselor and he is a great person. His son who lives in Bordeaux has told me that he has been invigorated and is very willing and eager to serve. Patrick has been in the branch a long time and his insight and knowledge about the members will be a great help. He and his family were devastated when his youngest son was killed while serving the NATO forces in Bosnia. The event caused his wife to have a nervous breakdown and a family breakup ensued after years of struggle. It has taken its toll on the family. There is a son who is active in the church in Bordeaux and a daughter in Brieve. Both of these cities are in our stake but they are 2 hours away.
Patrick has a great sense of humor and we get along like brothers. He has the same passion I do for genealogy and we have spent time getting to know the new church genealogy program. He is 57 years old and works for a group that does dental crowns, false teeth and the like. He has done this all his life and with his fine hands he is well suited for the work.
His youngest child, a daughter lives in Angouleme and is slowly coming back into activity. I hope that knowing that her father is a leadership role will give her a greater reason to come back into the fold. Florianne, the daughter, is the youngest of the family and was shocked when her brother was killed. She was just in her early teens when this took place and it has taken her time to get her back on her feet.
Last week, Patrick had a granddaughter baptized and Florianne attended the baptism and stayed with her sister in Brieve to attend Sunday services. The missionary work is progressing with a number of people fully working with the Elders in the missionary discussions. We have two investigators, but we are at the beginning of the teaching process. We are working very diligently with less active members who are working their way back.
In our travels this month we have asked when the grape harvest will be and found that last week it was in full swing. We thought there would be a large number of people in the vineyards, but much to our surprise the greatest percentage of the work is now done by machine. We got to see a couple of these machines up close and personal. They have two sides that surround the gape vines and then, with a relatively hard rubber flap on both sides, the machine hits both sides of the row of grape vines and shakes the grapes off. The clumps of grapes drops to the floor of the machine on each side and is carried by conveyor belt to the top of the machine to a container on each side. When the containers are full, the grapes are unloaded into trailer and the harvester continues on.
The grapes are then hauled to the farmer's distillery where the wine or Cognac process takes place. As we passed the villages we could smell the fermentation process taking place. This country could be self sufficient in food because of the good soil and climate. If they took the vineyards and put them into crops that could be eaten, the country would be able to feed more than the people of France. You would be shocked at the amount of ground is taken up with the vineyards all over the country.
Well, take care all and keep your chin up.
Elder Dad
I apologize for not getting on the stick and writing especially after complaining that I don't hear from all of you enough. We have been very busy with all the things there are to do here in the branch and with the missionary work on top of that it all compounds into full days and weeks. I have been busy trying to learn all the terms and forms that have to be filled out and getting the branch membership list put in order. The branch membership has changed over the years due to the shift in factories that have left the region. It seems that no one until now has tried to track down the total membership. Joanne and I have have used almost every method known to us to get the lost sheep found.
We have tracked many down through the white pages on the Internet. If we get more than one phone number for the same name, I then call each number and say that I am from the U.S. and am looking for so-and-so. Many times I get a polite no when I add the necessary details to the search, but after many calls, I am successful. The members have gone throughout the country and I am able to track them because France is broken down into numbered departments. If I don't find them locally, I can then branch out into the surrounding area. I have found some as far away as 500 miles. Some of the members have moved out of the country. With those, I have sent referrals to the countries through the missions located there. Sometimes when I call related last names and let them know I am interested in contact so-and-so, I get an enthusiastic response about the person being a mother-in-law or some other relative and I then get their address and telephone number. Of the total 154 members on the original list we have paired it down to 80 that are still in the branch boundaries. This has made a major difference on our percentages for visiting and home teaching and attendance at meetings.
I am happy to say that I don't feel like a direct descendant of Aaron, the brother of Moses, anymore. I now have one of my counselors and hope to have the other soon. Patrick Humblot is the new counselor and he is a great person. His son who lives in Bordeaux has told me that he has been invigorated and is very willing and eager to serve. Patrick has been in the branch a long time and his insight and knowledge about the members will be a great help. He and his family were devastated when his youngest son was killed while serving the NATO forces in Bosnia. The event caused his wife to have a nervous breakdown and a family breakup ensued after years of struggle. It has taken its toll on the family. There is a son who is active in the church in Bordeaux and a daughter in Brieve. Both of these cities are in our stake but they are 2 hours away.
Patrick has a great sense of humor and we get along like brothers. He has the same passion I do for genealogy and we have spent time getting to know the new church genealogy program. He is 57 years old and works for a group that does dental crowns, false teeth and the like. He has done this all his life and with his fine hands he is well suited for the work.
His youngest child, a daughter lives in Angouleme and is slowly coming back into activity. I hope that knowing that her father is a leadership role will give her a greater reason to come back into the fold. Florianne, the daughter, is the youngest of the family and was shocked when her brother was killed. She was just in her early teens when this took place and it has taken her time to get her back on her feet.
Last week, Patrick had a granddaughter baptized and Florianne attended the baptism and stayed with her sister in Brieve to attend Sunday services. The missionary work is progressing with a number of people fully working with the Elders in the missionary discussions. We have two investigators, but we are at the beginning of the teaching process. We are working very diligently with less active members who are working their way back.
In our travels this month we have asked when the grape harvest will be and found that last week it was in full swing. We thought there would be a large number of people in the vineyards, but much to our surprise the greatest percentage of the work is now done by machine. We got to see a couple of these machines up close and personal. They have two sides that surround the gape vines and then, with a relatively hard rubber flap on both sides, the machine hits both sides of the row of grape vines and shakes the grapes off. The clumps of grapes drops to the floor of the machine on each side and is carried by conveyor belt to the top of the machine to a container on each side. When the containers are full, the grapes are unloaded into trailer and the harvester continues on.
The grapes are then hauled to the farmer's distillery where the wine or Cognac process takes place. As we passed the villages we could smell the fermentation process taking place. This country could be self sufficient in food because of the good soil and climate. If they took the vineyards and put them into crops that could be eaten, the country would be able to feed more than the people of France. You would be shocked at the amount of ground is taken up with the vineyards all over the country.
Well, take care all and keep your chin up.
Elder Dad
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