Ann-Marie's Baptism & Our Stake Conference Assignment

It's taking us awhile to sort out the ins and outs of our mission this time. I'm now into a routine of weekly expectations...I buy food, I fix food, I serve food, I give left over food to the hungry (I'm talking our Elder and Sister missionaries, including us, here!) because we have no way of knowing how many to fix food for. I can deal with this, even though it is a worrisome problem to unravel in my head each week about what to make. Jack, on the other hand, is at his wits end unless he has someone to teach the gospel to. There is only just so much he can do for me and with me in the kitchen, so he has been wracking his brain for meaningful things to do. Our Peruvian contact came to Sacrament meeting last week, and our missionary minded members welcomed him warmly. He enjoyed what he heard and saw, even though a thoughtless girl in front of us talking to her mother, made it hard to concentrate on the speakers some of the time. I guess that's just life in the big city everywhere, people are people and can't always think past the now in their lives. Anyway, he had a phone call to make to his wife in Peru (a certain time frame to catch) so we sent him on his way with a Spanish Book of Mormon and he promised to read Moroni 10:4.

Jack talked to our bishop about taking some home-teaching families, so we were given two inactive families for a start, and he immediately tried to get in touch with them to set up times to come to visit. Then we got a call from our Stake president to give talks in Stake Conference this weekend...we have a 10 minute slot of time to fill...hmmm. One tenth of that should be just enough for me!

Ann-Marie Edike finally stopped waffling to and fro and set her baptism date for Feb. 24, this weekend, after Jack challenged her to keep up with her two 11 year old daughters in the church. She said she knew that her girls were on the train and it was leaving her behind, so since her mother is here from Africa to visit them, it's a good time for her to witness it also. We went to see her after work on Wed. night, but she hadn't made it home yet, so we dashed across town to the bishop's meeting. Then she called our phone and asked us to return, so we did, and had a wonderful meeting with her. She is a lively, great woman and I like her a lot. She didn't want to be baptized on a Saturday (that's a day for marriages), but Friday sounded like a good baptism day to her! She'd had her Zone leader interview last night, but had two questions she wanted Jack to answer: How can a man in the middle of the desert be baptized without any water around? And, why do we not baptize babies and little children in the church? WOW! All you ex-missionaries out there..just chomping at the bit to answer those concerns aren't ya??!! We had a great discussion about those things and she was touched by the spirit when she read what Moroni had to say about infant baptism. I love the gospel of Christ because the things we KNOW are true we cannot deny, and what we don't yet know we can rely upon our faith in Christ's promises to us that someday all will be known to us. Her baptism was a ward celebration, complete with food afterward and all the trimmings. We also had a Young Adult Activity going on in their room in the church, so after Jack said the closing prayer for the baptism program, I divided half the pan of bar cookies for them and left the rest for the ward repas. It was movie night and once again 17 Miracles made an impact on those who watched it. I'm so glad we brought that movie with us...it was a last minute purchase at Deseret Book before we left Provo last December, and we weren't sure it would show on the dvd's here, but it's been so great...all the girl's were crying through the sad scenes. (I don't know how you would have answered Ann-Marie's man in the desert question, but Jack told her that any good missionary would get that man to the nearest oasis and baptize him in the same manner that Christ had been baptized!)

Stake Conference was to be held in a rented hall where there is a stage for local concerts etc. I was nervous and wondered what I should say in my two or three minutes that anyone would want to hear. I began to write down some things about our call to the Young Adult program and the unity that exists among them and that they are great kids...the things I'm expected to say, I guess. Then Friday night when I got into bed, my mind just seemed to fill with words and I could picture myself speaking them in perfect French, and I wasn't even dreaming yet! I got myself up and wrote down what I could remember then went back to bed for a good night's sleep. I had Jack help me the next day to get the wording right, and we were ready for Sunday. The Saturday night conference for adults began at 2 PM with a choir practice that I wanted to join and that they pulled Jack into joining. He kept protesting that his voice was like a frog's, but the patient brother beside him kept him pretty much in tune as we practiced, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me. It was so fun to sing those favorite songs in French, the words do not match at all...but, the essence of the ideas expressed are there. We didn't get home until past 9 PM, and you just see what membership is like here, it is your world. On Sunday morning as we walked into the hall, a brother came to me and asked if I needed a translator to help me with my talk. How tempting! I told him, 'No, I am going to tough it out in French, and hope they understand me." President Poznanski and his wife were the main speakers, and there was a wonderful young women's choir that sang also. My turn came and under some very bright lights I told the audience that, 'When we used to go on vacations with our family we always found a church to go to on Sundays, and that I always felt at home there. WHY? Because the spirit of the members is the same everywhere. I told them that is why I love being with them here in France, even though I miss my family, now I have a family here. With the Church of Jesus Christ the members are my family; the spirit of the members is the same! I then told them what I thought was the main reason that I love Jesus Christ. It is that he keeps his promises to us. I listed some main ones he kept : a world on which to live, our agency to choose, guidance by prophets, his help to return us back to our Father in Heaven, to come to earth and live a sinless life, to Atone for our sins, to visit his other sheep in the world, and to reestablish his gospel in its fullness on the earth in these latter days. All these promises and so many more Christ kept for his Father and for us. That is why I love, and have confidence in my Savior, Jesus Christ.' Jack got up and had them chuckling first thing by saying, 'As you can see I'm getting very old, in the U.S. we have a saying, that I have one foot in the grave and the other foot is sliding on a banana peel ! Where is our leadership in the church going to come from? It will come from the young adults, and that is why this program is so important. Relief Society sisters need to embrace the young women into activity, and the priesthood brothers need to do the same for the young men. We come from a small town in Wyoming of 500 persons and 100 thousand cows. But there are two wards in this town with a tradition of sending out many missionaries. You too have begun a tradition of sending out missionaries with 6 in the field right now and one more, Virginie, next month, and Pierre-Louis not long after. Then who will come next?' He then bore his testimony and we were done...big sigh of relief!

That's missionary work…something new all the time...it's so great!

Love you all,

Joanne

You Can't Get There From Here

I love France and the cities that we have seen with their unique statues and buildings and the atmosphere that comes with centuries of history, but when it comes to driving someplace, you can't get there from here. There are a great number of impediments to driving to a certain destination in any city in France. The first problem is that there are not a lot of street signs except at major intersections and so when you want to make sure you are on the right street to arrive at your destination it is very easy to miss a turn that you should have taken.

Which way? They are both one-way!!

Now you have a major problem to back track to get to where you just made the wrong turn. In the United States you just go around the block and voila you have it made. Not in France. All the streets go off on angles and so you might have to travel many blocks to try to get back where you made the wrong turn. That problem is compounded by the fact that there are so many one way streets that when you turn to go back the best way possible you end up facing a one way sign. There have been many times when we have had to back up because we assumed that the street would take us close to where we wanted to go, only to face the one way sign. Twice we just pressed forward on the one way street and turned off on the first intersection, no matter which way it directed us. We were lucky both time that there was no traffic coming the other way and the intersection was a short way off, and of course it was another one way street going the wrong direction and we ended up a long way from our hopeful arrival point.

Streets on angles.

The last problem is that our GPS that we brought only works in the United States and its territories and though France would like to annex the U.S., we won't be one of their territories any time soon (we could make France one of our territories). Back home our GPS would talk to us and give us plenty of warning of things to come and directions to take. Our GPS here is called Mappy and unlike the female voice of ours back home, this one doesn't talk, but by its actions your mother is certain it is a male. It, like us, gets confused with one way streets and then takes forever to recalculate and by then we are further into the abyss of the French maze of city streets. Your mother feels that it has a male mentality when it has to recalculate in that it doesn't ask direction so therefore it take a long time in getting its bearings.

The freeway system here is very well planned and laid out, but once again Mappy waits until the last moment to indicate the turn off we should take and so we have spent time going down the freeway to the next turn off so we can turn around. Joanne is learning to anticipate Mappy by checking the distance in meters to the next turn off, but in some cases there are multiple turn exits close together and so here again we end up going to the next exit so we can turn around.

One benefit of living in the mountains back home is that they can give you instant direction points of reference. Here the city is built on flat land and we have had to pick out references points to go by. We started with church steeples until we found out very quickly that the steeples are all designed the same way and all but one was built out of the same colored stone. With that idea gone, we started to look for the city hall clock tower. It is very high and near our home, so it became a major land mark for us. In Lille we noticed that the many modern buildings in the newer area of town are different colors, so that helps us to get our bearings.

4 one-way streets around a church square.

We have found our way easier here in Lille with a total population of 4 million that we did in Angouleme, but we haven't started to really get to the members that are less active and we must admit that even with Mappy's male attitude we have really needed him on several occasions.

A Contact at the Doctor's Office

It's a cold morning, not yet light outside, and I'm sitting here with Heather's colorful lap blanket (that I snatched off the back of our couch) around my legs feeling content with my part of last night’s FHE. I made 30 sugar cookie hearts with pink (sprinkles of strawberry Kool-ade) frosting that finally turned out good when I used parchment paper to bake them on. Jack's part was to lead them in an activity after the lesson (they've been playing cards each time so far) and he made something we'd been told about at the Couple's Conference. You stand in a circle and each person holds a 5 ft. (or so) piece of PVC pipe in front of them vertically on the floor. Someone says LEFT and they must let go of their pipe and grab the one to the left of them, and if RIGHT is called they must let go and grab the one to their right. It was fun and kinda competitive and a bit dicey when poles went flying at times, but we had 12 there, with an AMI (friend of the Church) and the Elders teaching him, plus 2 Elders who fly home this Thursday and wanted to say good-bye, so it was a lively group. What a different mission it is this time; I almost feel like we're party planners and our goal is' a good time was had by all'! Just kidding, I think! :)

Last week we had an experience on the day of our scheduled 'medical exam' to see if we were fit to remain in France. In my morning prayer I was prompted to pray specifically to have someone put in our path who needs the gospel in their life. I was a bit nervous about dealing with French officialdom, so I got myself ready carefully so as to be at my best. The Zone leaders paid for our stamps and brought them to us...it costs the Mission $340 Euros each to keep us here for a year, and the money was due that day. Our little French GPS, Mappy, got us to our destination 10 minutes early for our 1:30 appointment, but we had to walk around the block to the back entrance in the -3 degree weather, and it was cold! Several people were milling around the locked doors on which a sign proclaimed their 'working hours' were from 2 to 5 PM. What? I was more upset at that sign than Jack was - I was getting in there at 1:30 for my 'appointment' or else! Some high-heeled worker unlocked the doors right on time and we were the second ones inside. She had us line up, then I handed her the papers she needed, and was directed down a hall to where a woman technician awaited me. She spoke slowly so I could understand that a chest x-ray would be taken. She led me into a small room and locked the door we'd just entered, then directed me to remove all my upper clothing. When she saw my garment top she nodded that it was OK to wear, then she positioned me in front of an ancient looking light panel and I heard a loud rattle and hummm and that was it. I'm X-RAYED...hope I live through it!

Within a minute or so Jack followed me and went through the same adventure, 'You can keep your T-shirt on', she told him. He came out still buttoning up his shirt and tying his tie and stood while a small man sat next to me on my left. He was holding a Peruvian passport in his hands and so Jack asked if he was from Peru? Startled, the man said, 'How did you know that?’, then he saw what he was holding and said, 'Oh!’ "That was easy" said Jack, and they laughed. We started to talk to him, and he knew some English as well as fairly good French, and is some kind of engineer here to study for 2 years before returning home. He could be in his late 20's and is recently married to a woman from Peru also who is waiting for him there. He's from Lima, where it's nice and warm and he longs to go back. We told him who and what we are and he was very interested because he's been searching for "a community of believers" to associate with to counter the spiritual indifference of the people he's met here in France so far. Wow! We invited him to come to church on Sunday and he said he'd love to and took the address and our names and phone number. When he heard that there were English classes held there also he became even more excited and that sealed the deal. The last of our 'exam' was by a nurse who took my height and weight and had me read an eye chart - I passed, I think. Jack followed me and then we were called individually in to see the head honcho...La Doctor. She looked at me over her black rimmed glasses and in her no-nonsense style asked about my 'sante', was it good? 'Yes, my health is good.' I told her. 'Do you smoke?' No. 'Do you take any pills, medicine?' No. She looked at my poster sized chest x-ray and didn't seem alarmed by anything, so she signed me off and stamped my papers and had me send my husband in. That was it…we got our passports stamped with the Cart-de-se-jour right inside instead of a simple card to carry like last time, and were sent on our way. We left there on Cloud-9 after saying good-bye to our Peruvian friend, Denis. Not only did we pass our medical exam to stay in France, but Heavenly Father answered BOTH our prayers, because Jack also asked that someone be placed in our path today in our prayer before we left home. We are very excited to see what will happen next! That's all for now. love ya, Mom

A Trip to Arras

We have the responsibility from the mission president to travel around the Lille zone to check the status of the missionary apartments, see that the missionaries are cleaning them to the mission standards, as well as to make any repairs that are necessary. We have two apartments to visit before this missionary transfer is complete and then we will start all over again. Today we traveled south to the city of Arras. The cities in this zone are all cities that played a major part in World War I and Arras is no exception. The city was one of the areas where the Allies put a stop to the German advance on Paris. The city today has about 45,000 in population with more people in the suburbs.

The highlight to the city is the Grand Place. The building are constructed the the Flemish style and the entire square is of the same construction, although the materials are of different colors. There is an arch that closes off the front of the buildings which provides shade in the summer and protection from the winter winds. Around the corner from the Grand Place is a very stylish city hall. The "Hotel de Ville" is topped of with a clock tower and a golden top. While we in the Grand Place taking pictures, two young men in their early twenties asked if we wanted them to take a picture of us in the Grand Place together. We invited them to do so and then thanked them for their kindness. We told them we were from Wyoming and then launched ourselves into the reason why were here as missionaries for the church. At the end of our short presentation we asked them for their names and telephone number so the missionaries could contact them and tell them more. They did so and we parted ways. We called the sisters to let them know about their new contacts and to give them the information on the two young men.

Since we were very close to Vimy Ridge, where the Canadian troops fought the Germans and where my uncle, James William Lawson, was killed in action, we decided to make a visit. James died a few weeks before he was to go to England to receive a promotion and sixty days before the end of the war. We traveled to the War Memorial at the top of the famous embattled ridge. There we met a group of English high school students on a history field trip. I asked the teacher if I could take a minute to explain the fact that my uncle James died in this area. Later the teacher engaged us in a conversation about our name tags and that gave me another opportunity to explain why we were in France and to give him a quick overview of the restoration of the church. I invited him when he got back to Brighton, England to contact the missionaries and inquire more about the church and the Book of Mormon. He said he would.

We then drove to the information center where we were able to find the exact location of my uncle's grave site from the kind staff. While in the area we looked at the reconstructed trenches and were amazed at the short distance between the lines of the Canadians and German troops. The center is staffed by Canadian university students and we met one and talked to her about the battlefield. She noticed our name tags and recognized the name of the church. The "plaques" as we call them are an instant contact opportunity. We explained why we were in France and when we told her about the number of missionaries throughout the world, she was impressed. Three different contacts and three different messages inspired by the Spirit for three different situations and people. I love this work.

We then drove to the cemetery where my uncle is buried and had a quiet moment there. I am impressed by how well the grave sites are taken care of and also that the bodies were buried in the areas where they died so that the cemeteries are relatively small and they dot the country side where the battles took place. Even after all these years the sites are so well kept, and at the grave site of uncle James there was construction work going on to keep the entrance way in good condition. Mom and I were saddened by the fact that the ages of the men in the cemetery were mostly in their twenties. So many died for so little ground gained or lost, but in the end they gave their lives that we may enjoy freedom instead of tyranny.

Love to all and soyez sage.

Mom & Dad

A Christmas Baptism

I would like to express a good reason to come and enjoy the blessings of a mission. We have a wonderful friend in France, Carole Serard, who was very close to being baptized before we left to come home from our first mission. She stayed close to the church and the members while we were at home. We phoned her to tell her that we were privileged to be called back to France in the Paris Mission. She immediately said she was coming to Paris so that I could baptize her. I told her to wait and we would come to Angouleme because we had the permission from our mission president to come and witness her baptism with the members of her branch.

We traveled by train to Angouleme and stayed with Sister Bouchard. On the evening of the 24th of December we went to the branch for the baptism. I wish I had a camera handy when we walked into the familiar chapel with the members gathered for the event. There were so many surprised faces that turned to see who had just come through the door. These wonderful brothers and sisters whom we love were shocked to see us. It was a reunion that gave me a glimpse of what it will be like when we meet again in the spirit world after this life. Hugs and kisses (one for each cheek) were exchanged with all the friends we know and love. We also met the two great missionaries who had continued the efforts with Carole to get her to the point of having a desire to be a member of the Church. Carole was baptized by Elder Hemsley.

I was asked to be a witness to this blessed event and the tears of joy almost made it impossible to fulfill my calling. To see Carole's smile before and after was a sight worth all the riches of the world. She had grown to a point where she was ready to embrace fully the Gospel of Christ. The following day was Christmas and she was confirmed a member of the Church and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. There was great joy among all the members assembled, for this had been a four year process and the rewards where so wonderful. After the meeting, before we sat down for the Christmas feast, Sister Bouchard on the piano, President Saveraux on the clarinet, and Brother Monsel on the flute, played our favorite hymn, Sovient-toi. I love these friends for thinking of us.

The rest of the day was spent in celebration with the members at a feast at the chapel. Joanne took the time to prepare her usual large dish of Italian pasta and we bought two buches de Noel as a traditional treat. What a wonderful time we had with everyone. Christmas songs were sung, stories were told and laughter was ever present. The presents of joy and friendship are the greatest gifts of all on the day we celebrate the birth of Christ.

We then went to the home of Sephora and Jean-Pierre for a traditional meal and the opening of presents. Joanne was prepared for the moment as she brought gifts from home for all the members of the family. The time we spent with this special family, Sephora we taught and baptized on our first mission to France, and Jean-Pierre we spent many a day with him through a divorce as his wife abandoned the family, brought joy to us. It was almost as if we were home and the time with this family almost took the pain of missing our own family from our hearts.

This time of great opportunity, to see Carole enter the waters of baptism and to spend time with people we love and care about, makes the scripture concerning the worth of a soul come into its true light.

Love to you all,

Mom and Dad