Arrive in France

We left the airport with hugs from Heather and Josh. It is always tough to leave family knowing that we won't see everyone for 18 months. It is good that I have enough technology in my brain to get us to the blogs so that we can see what is going on with some of you. The flight was uneventful and we even managed a few hours sleep. I had the chance to talk to a Frenchman headed to his home in Lyons as he was coming from his work in Las Vegas. I gave him some reading material and we said goodbye.

At the airport we meet the Assistants to the President, Elder Hall and Elder Duarte. Elder Duarte is from Portugal. It took us 2 hrs. from the airport to the mission home due to bottle necks on the freeway. We talked along the way and were able to get a feel for the mission.
At the mission home we met President Poznansky and his daughter Marie. The President's wife was off to Angers to take care of a problem with their home there.

After lunch we got squared away with a cell phone, keys to our apartment and off we went with the AP's. The AP's paid for our metro pass for the rest of the month and away we went on the metro with all our bags. On the way we made two contacts, one with a less active sister. I was able to get her name and phone number.

The apartment was at the next to the top floor. Sixty-two steps up on an almost circular stair case. We were exhausted by the time we reached the door and it is a good thing two young Elders were there to get our bags up the stairs. We are staying in Paris because the church has not been able to find us an apartment in Lille.

The place we live in is a studio apartment. It was for 4 elders with bunkbeds at each end of the long room. The zone counselors who were there before us broke one of the bunk beds into two single beds for us and left us enough to eat until we could buy some food for ourselves. There are four study desks, a eating table in the middle of the place, and a bathroom fully equipped. The stove and sink plus some shelves are opposite the dinning table. The place is big enough for the two of us.

The 62 steps, the 400 meters to the metro, the 400 meters to the platform, and the same to get out of the metro has changed us physically. With all the walking we are doing, my calves are big enough to take to market and we have so much more stamina. The other benefit is that we only eat two meals a day so our weight is dropping. The weather is not too bad. It has rain lightly a few days and got down to 38 degrees on one day, but the temperature has raised to around 50 degrees yesterday and today.

We did have one bad experience that made me angry. I put my wallet in my pants pocket and my suit coat was over my pocket. My raincoat was over all that, but I think that I looked to well off and a group made me their mark. On a rolling sidewalk in the metro four people, one right after the other, bumped into the side where my wallet way and when I got to the end of the sidewalk to get my metro pass out, the wallet was gone. Driver's license, 30 euro, debit card and my metro pass were in the wallet along with photo copies of my passport and the two visas to France and Belgium. It was a good thing they were only photo copies.

We came to the church visitor center and used the phone to cancel the debit card and then trudged home with a new metro card the zone counselors bought me. What a bummer! My feelings about Paris went down a few notches, however when I made my report to the police I got to talk to the officer about the church and that helped build my spirit. I have been able to give out pass-a-long cards most every day in the metro by using some unique approach. Once as we were bout ready to board the metro a lady saw our tags and read out loud the name of Jesus Christ. We talked to her as two other trains past and gave her some literature and the address to the church.

Well that is all for now. We will try to get some pictures to Joanna or Chris so they put them in since our lap top doesn't let us do that.

Love Pappa et Momma