Random Thoughts

Bonjour everyone -

We are in the lazy days of summer here in France, and much of the country seems to just close down, as people take their vacations. We have a French native, Elder Del Bel, who just finished his mission. He's in his late 20's, and after joining the church, he decided to serve and was a wonderful missionary, ending up as our Zone Leader. He told us that in his work as a librarian, he was entitled to 16 weeks of paid vacation every year. We could hardly believe it, but he assured us that it was true. School children here seem to get many weeks off for vacation during the year too, plus they also get every Wednesday off, it's nuts.

Living in a real home has changed some things for us, because houses need to be tended. Sister Bouchard loves her mission at the genealogy library in Salt Lake City so much that she is talking about extending. With us leaving at the end of October, if she extends for say, three months into March of next year, that will leave the house empty for quite some time. It has turned into a jungle around here, and we have to beat back the overgrowth of foliage and weeds constantly. Thank goodness we had the Corga's help while they were able. Sandra finally had her baby girl last week, and they plan to return and help us again when they are able. Joao has weekly shots that lay him out completely for his hepatitis, plus he told us that he is HIV positive, and so it would seem that his health is in serious jeopardy. He is very remorseful that he fell away from the church, and made decisions that have left him in this awful physical condition at his young age. Jack has done everything but taken their cigarettes physically from their house (he did threaten to do that too!), to get them to stop smoking, but their habit has them hooked fast so far.

Our experience with the ancient hedge out front has been a saga. Sis. Bouchard said we could do whatever we wanted to in her yard, but I bet she never would have dreamed Jack would take that literally, and tackle the ugly dead part of her hedge out front. He pulled out the sticks that had no foliage, leaving it a kinda shell of its former self, into which he planted new 3 ft. plants to take their place. Then we realized that didn't look good, so he cut off all the branches remaining, which left grotesque spiky stumps, so we knew that they had to go! He started digging around them with a shovel, tied a rope around each one in turn, positioned her car with its undercarriage hook, and pulled those suckers out with that extra added horsepower. It was like pulling out 6 huge teeth by their roots, and he was having way too much fun! We then went shopping for poles and bamboo fencing, because you must cut off the view of your neighbors in France, it's mandatory, I think! Later, at the grocery store, we began talking to a nice English couple in the line ahead of us. Their French wasn't too good, so Jack helped them explain something to the cashier, as she waited for the two Englishwomen ahead of us all to resolve their problem! They were stuck because they had failed to get prices on their bags of produce, so my ever-helpful husband ran back and got that done for them. Everyone was suitably impressed (the Englishman said that he should work there!), but Jack shrugged it off modestly, attributing it to his early boy scout training.

Jack has quite a fan club going on here, between Madeleine, who thinks he's wonderful because he helps in the kitchen, and does dishes, 'like no Frenchman would!'; and Adele, who hangs onto his every word, and tries so hard to please him as she reads the Book of Mormon with us each week, and tries to understand and answer his questions correctly. She has come a long way, and now prays each time we visit. Her prayers are not quite in our usual format yet, but she is talking to Heavenly Father, so that is good.

Sandra knew from the beginning that what he told her was true, it's just the cares of the world that keep her down; she really wants to be baptized. Carole has gone from being lost in the dark, to letting the light of the gospel open her mind to the wonderful knowledge that God knows her, and loves her, no matter what challenges and mistakes she's made. In her last prayer with us, she asked for help so that she could be baptized . . . we were so thrilled to hear that. Sister Trillaud loves him because he got her to realize that she could pay her tithing, which was all she is lacking for a temple recommend; then came up with the idea to help her set aside the money for it. We've become closer to her by helping the Elders as they take her the sacrament each week. Last Friday though, as the Elders met us at her apt. they were talking on the phone, to HER. "Don't come up! Don't come up! I'm going to the hospital, I'm sick!" she told them. We found out later that she has the Swine flu, and will be in quarantine for a month! Next, there is tiny Sister Walter, who lived upstairs while she went to school to become a nurse's aide. She looks on Jack as an older brother, and they get a kick out of each other's humor. We went to see her at her crumbling down old home at Le Pruneau (I love that name!), and she was given the sacrament (she always kneels down), and an object lesson on the three things we need to do to keep our channel of communication open to the Lord. She does two of them, reading the scriptures and praying, but the third one: coming to church, is harder for her. So, we are her little burr under her saddle to keep her remembering what she needs to do. Last is Sephora, who tripped over the traces at age 18, and was excommunicated. At age 27, unmarried and with an active 5-year-old boy, she is making her way back to the fold of Jesus Christ, and it's not easy at all. But she wants more for her son than the world can give, and she knows her life went sour through her own actions. She has welcomed us in eagerly to teach her again what she had almost forgotten. She has shed tears of joy at the thought that she can be forgiven for her past sins and it has been wonderful to be with her on this journey. Then there is ME, I'm in his fan club too, but I live with him, so I happen to know that he's human, not ready to be translated yet, and he needs me to keep him grounded, which I'm getting better at all the time.

I didn't mean to write a book. I'd better end this now. I love you all, my family and friends, and hope you are all doing well. See you soon!

Take care, Sister Mom Joanne Gran'ma