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